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I may have low grade lymphoma or it could be from inflammation

Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Mar 30 8:10am | Replies (60)
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@normahorn

A bone marrow biopsy is not necessarily needed to diagnose CLL. Far less invasive tests determined I have it and the nature of mine. Between flow cytology, FISH, and chromosome BLOOD tests, my oncologist did not feel the need for more tests at this stage. I remember one poster who, and her mother, both have CLL and the mother only had a biopsy when treatment was deemed appropriate.

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Replies to "A bone marrow biopsy is not necessarily needed to diagnose CLL. Far less invasive tests determined..."
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Mar 21 8:57pm

Hi Norma, It’s true a bmb isn’t necessary to diagnose CLL. Much can be determined through blood work alone, as you’ve seen in your own diagnosis with CLL. And it’s great that you haven’t required anything further.

However, with noticeable changes in symptoms, sometimes a biopsy is required to determine the progression of a disease from the perspective of the marrow which is at the core (no pun intended) of the cell manufacturing site. A biopsy can also help determine the extent of the disease, or the presence of other blood disorders not evident through blood work and the type of treatment that may be necessary. A bmb can be a very helpful, specialized tool in a hematologist oncologist’s diagnostic tool-box. 😊

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