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Shpulka
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Posted: Sat Oct 31st, 2009 01:58 pm |
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Hi,
My father is a 59 yo MM survivor. He was diagnosed 5 years ago and underwent a tandem stem transplant right away, after that he was in remission. Currently his MM came back and he underwent radiation. His red, white and platelets are very low and he needed a blood transfusion. His DR. is suspecting MDS and he is seeing a specialist on Monday. I am very worried about him. What is read on line about both diseases is bleak. What is the likely prognosis? Also, i am expecting and i wonder if the umbilical cord blood can help him. We have the same blood type. Thank you for any help.
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Posted: Tue Nov 3rd, 2009 01:10 am |
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Hi,
How did things go with the specialist today?
The first thing that needs to be settled is whether he really has both MDS and myeloma. If that is the case, a treatment like a reduced intensity allotransplant would likely be a good option for a patient like this, so that is one avenue to explore with your doctor.
Does your dad still have stem cells in store?
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Huntsman Cancer Institute Myeloma Clinic
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Shpulka
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Posted: Tue Nov 3rd, 2009 01:21 am |
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| Thank you for your reply. It turns out my dad has MM, some MDS cells and a bone marrow deficiency. They suggested an allotransplant, which supposedly might have some great outcome if it takes. In addition, my dad's blood type is O +, which makes finding a donor hard. Also there is a chance that that bone marrow will be rejected by the body. We have a hard decision to make.
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Posted: Wed Nov 4th, 2009 10:58 pm |
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Yes, sounds like there's lots to think about.
Your dad's blood type is not a factor when it comes to assessing the difficulty of finding a donor, though. It'll depend on his HLA typing. If he has a common HLA type, it will be easy to find a donor. If he has a very unusual HLA type, it will be harder to find a donor.
All the best to you,
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Huntsman Cancer Institute Myeloma Clinic
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Shpulka
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Posted: Mon Nov 9th, 2009 12:01 am |
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| Dad has been in the hospital since Thursday with a fever. The doctors are suspecting an infection however the results are not in yet. He is being treated with antibiotics but the fever is not subsiding. He is also being given medication to increase white blood cell counts. Doctor says he is doing great. How long does it usually take for the blood counts to go up? How long can this fever last? It its not an infection what could that be?
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Posted: Wed Nov 11th, 2009 08:47 pm |
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Hi,
Sorry it took me a few days to reply. I am currently out of the country, so it took me some time to get to a computer.
We think that if the fever persists, it is probably not a bacterial infection. We also think opportunistic infections such as CMV, PCP, and fungal infections need to be ruled out.
Hope this helps,
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Huntsman Cancer Institute Myeloma Program
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Shpulka
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Posted: Fri Nov 13th, 2009 04:25 pm |
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| Thank you for your reply. Dad still has a very high fever and his blood counts are extremely low - from .4 to .6 despite Neupogen shots and one blood transfusion. They ruled out an infection and feel the fever is due to MDS. He is scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy today. Isn't there any treatment for MDS? He is very weak and this fever is not going away.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16th, 2009 04:09 pm |
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Hi,
There are treatments for MDS, depending on the stage of the MDS. None of those are curative except for an allogeneic transplant (using somebody else's stem cells).
When treating patients like this, we typically try to have the disease under control with chemotherapy and if the patient is stronger after that, proceed with an allogeneic transplant.
Take care and best wishes to you and your father,
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Huntsman Cancer Institute Myeloma Clinic
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