Guest guest Posted June 19, 2008 Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 FOLKS - I TAKE THE LIBERTY OF CALLING YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS ONE FROM DR. FURMAN. THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, IT'S AN "ART" AS WELL AS A "SCIENCE". IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT I SOMETIMES PREACH THAT MAKING OURSELVES NUTS ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR PROGNOSTICS, AND DETAILS OF NUMBERS (ALTHOUGH I ADMIT GUILT THERE MYSELF) IS EXCESSIVE. JOHN Helene,A doubling time of less than six months is an "indication for treatment", but that must be differentiated from "needing treatment". The important thing to remember with CLL is that some patients will not need treatment for 5-10 years, while some in 1-2 years. We previously had no other means than following progression to make this determination. We now know lymphocyte doubling predicts for someone who will need treatment shortly.This often relates to a topic which we have discussed frequently here. While the standard of care is "watch and wait", there is not anything to be gain by avoiding treatment too early. In fact, delaying treatment too long can cause someone to have a much more difficult time with treatment. This, knowing when to treat, is the "art of oncology".Rick Furman, MDGas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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