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How often do you think a bone marrow biopsy is required?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Aug 28 8:57am | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
The genetic mutation and blood tests are definitive for diagnosis now, so some docs don't do bone marrow biopsies any longer. Others like to have one biopsy done as a baseline against other biopsies they might have to do in the future.
Replies to "The genetic mutation and blood tests are definitive for diagnosis now, so some docs don't do..."
Hi @nohrt4me ,
Yes, I definitely should have stopped at just that when I was told I “for sure” had ET by my oncologist/hematologist at that time. After I asked her for a bone marrow biopsy to confirm ET as I have CALR mutation, I was told by that same oncologist/hemotologist that I have primary myelofibrosis instead. Oddly enough, my lab work now looks just as it did before my bone marrow biopsy day and I have no symptoms after 1.5 years which I hope continues, God willing. I did see a MPN specialist recently who did not read my chart before seeing me and wrote that I have JAK2 and CALR mutations which I do not have! I will not be seeing her ever again! I learned that not even MPN specialists are true experts in the huge variety of presentations of unusual lab work with patients like us and some do not read before seeing a new patient!
Hope you are doing well and that you are getting everything in proper order for your proposed heart procedure. Please keep us posted.
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@nohrt4me I was just reading more about that yesterday, how blood work is becoming sophisticated enough with NGS (next generation sequencing), that test results are on par with a bone marrow biopsy. While it won’t completely replace a bmbx it may reduce the need in certain circumstances, saving time, $$$ and anxiety for a lot of patients. ☺️