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CLL: Mayo Clinic's approach to diagnosis

Feb 17, 2020 | Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Comments (2)

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Approximately 20,000 patients will be diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the United States alone in 2019. Many of these patients will be in the early-stage of their disease at the time of their diagnosis and will not meet indications for therapy (learn more about this period known as watch & wait).

It is now possible for Mayo Clinic hematologists to identify several prognostic markers to individually predict which patients are at a higher risk of progression. Learn more about the five variables providers use to determine who is at a higher risk in Dr. Parikh's video below:

Are you or a loved one living with CLL and would like to talk with others who are walking the same path? Join the Blood Cancers & Disorders support group on Connect and discover a community of real people with similar experiences. Some discussions to get you started:

Mayo Clinic CLL Clinical Trials

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Profile picture for sengland75
sengland75 | @sengland75 | Aug 17 9:12am

I was initially diagnosed with LUPUS SLE) 1.5 years ago. How we 1 year on 400 mg. of Hydroxychloroquine and weekly injections of Benlysta ( Biological) had no improvement and worsening symptoms.
Labs showed significant rapid decline in Complemtn system. I stopped all treatment and sought. hematologist.
Initially it was discovered my B- Cells are monoclonal and after initial bone marrow biopsy it was confirmed of involvement in my marrow. However the bone marrow sample was ,” suboptimal and the pathologist had only a ,” particle of bone” to work with and the aspirate could not be evaluated due to being,” heavily diluted “.
Fast forward to now: I’ve been b ing evaluated at the Mayo Clonic by rheumatology, immunology and Genecist, and hematology. It’s been ruled out after vigorous testing, genetic testing and mo results that I do not have an autoimmune disorder.
I was told the answer is ,” in the blood”.
So Friday I had bone marrow biopsy repeated and am awaiting results.
Initial MRI’s showed ground glass nodules in my lungs (4 to be enact) .
Initially it was assumed it was inflammatory due to active LUPUS . Now I’m seeing a pulmonologist for evaluation. I’m always short of breath and lab results ruled out inflammation in my body

So now I’m waiting on bone marrow results .
How long doe it take for Bone Marrow Results to come back ??

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Aug 20 3:04pm
In reply to @sengland75 "I was initially diagnosed with LUPUS SLE) 1.5 years ago. How we 1 year on 400..." + (show)
Profile picture for sengland75 @sengland75

I was initially diagnosed with LUPUS SLE) 1.5 years ago. How we 1 year on 400 mg. of Hydroxychloroquine and weekly injections of Benlysta ( Biological) had no improvement and worsening symptoms.
Labs showed significant rapid decline in Complemtn system. I stopped all treatment and sought. hematologist.
Initially it was discovered my B- Cells are monoclonal and after initial bone marrow biopsy it was confirmed of involvement in my marrow. However the bone marrow sample was ,” suboptimal and the pathologist had only a ,” particle of bone” to work with and the aspirate could not be evaluated due to being,” heavily diluted “.
Fast forward to now: I’ve been b ing evaluated at the Mayo Clonic by rheumatology, immunology and Genecist, and hematology. It’s been ruled out after vigorous testing, genetic testing and mo results that I do not have an autoimmune disorder.
I was told the answer is ,” in the blood”.
So Friday I had bone marrow biopsy repeated and am awaiting results.
Initial MRI’s showed ground glass nodules in my lungs (4 to be enact) .
Initially it was assumed it was inflammatory due to active LUPUS . Now I’m seeing a pulmonologist for evaluation. I’m always short of breath and lab results ruled out inflammation in my body

So now I’m waiting on bone marrow results .
How long doe it take for Bone Marrow Results to come back ??

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Hi @sengland75 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You’ve certainly been going through your share of medical testing the past couple of years. Hopefully now that you’re in the care of Mayo Clinic you’ll finally get some answers. Their unique collaborative approach to medicine can be a real game changer when it comes to diagnosing.

From my own extensive experience in the hematology department at Mayo, most tests, when done at Mayo have fairly quick results. However, the BMBX (bone marrow biopsy and exam) will take anywhere from 3 to 10 days because of the extensive testing on various components.
Basic morphology can be reported faster, often within a couple of days. While cytogenetic and molecular tests require cell culturing or advanced lab techniques that extend processing time.
So hang in there! I know, waiting is an anxiety builder!
Which Mayo campus did you visit?

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