Tracking Treatment

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CML Medical Monitor Newsletter

CML Medical Monitor Newsletter

March 2005

The CML Medical Monitor was developed to help people living with

chronic myeloid leukemia keep track of their symptoms and treatment

progress. It was designed in collaboration with CML medical experts and

patients like you. We want you to get the most you can out of this valuable

resource, so we thought we would highlight some of the features of the

tracking tool.

In the Ask the Experts feature of the CML Medical Monitor, you can

email your CML questions to our faculty members for timely, personalized

responses. Here is an example of one recent question-and-answer exchange:

Q: When and why do I have to have bone marrow biopsies?

A: How often you have a bone marrow biopsy will be determined by your

doctor based on the stage of your disease and your response to treatment.

Almost all patients have a bone marrow biopsy at diagnosis. This confirms

the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome, the stage of the disease and

whether there are any other chromosomal abnormalities. A typical schedule

for someone with chronic phase CML is to have a biopsy six months after

starting Gleevec® and then at one year. If this biopsy shows that the person

is in cytogenetic remission, then biopsies may be done approximately once a

year to monitor any additional chromosomal changes. Your schedule may vary

depending on your response to treatment. More frequent bone marrows may be

needed if your CML is not in cytogenetic remission, is not responding as

expected to treatment, or is in accelerated phase or blast phase.

In addition, at our center, quantitative PCR is often done on

peripheral blood every three months if possible. The quantitative PCR gives

us a way to track Bcr-Abl levels using either blood or marrow samples.

—Carolyn Blasdel, RN, MA, OCN

Clinical Research Nurse, Oregon Health and Science University

To learn more about the monitoring of CML, browse the " Education "

section of the CML Medical Monitor, which features helpful videos on

tracking your treatment progress. And to submit your own anonymous questions

to the expert doctors and nurses on our faculty, go to the Ask the Experts

feature on the the CML Medical Monitor.

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