Can anyone here tell me about leukemia and relapse?

....just heard last night my Dad who underwent chemo this time last year....he went into remission...then had to have a tumor and the majority of his right lung removed in March....his white cell count has been low for a month again and will have another bone marrow biopsy this a.m. to see if the leukemia has returned.....if anyone who reads this knows if this is as serious as it sounds...is this an indication that the cancer is back now? I'd appreciate any and all knowledge ya'll have regarding this as I'm extremely upset about it as I just knew he'd beaten it and am having a really hard time accetping this news. :cry:

Thanks.

Amber

Check your inbox.

:loveya:

:loveya: :*

I was dx'ed June 28th, and after a week of chemo went into remission.
I had a stem cell transplant Nov 27th and have been rocking and rolling ever since.

If I recall, my white cell count when I got leukemia was through the roof, not low. When the white count goes down, that, if I recall, is an indication that they are off fighting some type of infection or something in the body.

I didn't have the complication of a tumor in my lungs so I can't speak to that, which might be contributing to his white count being down as the body repairs itself.

One question if I may...why wasn't he transplanted?

Obviously the bone marrow will tell a lot, be positive, there is always hope.

If you want to talk more, feel free to PM me or even have an open discussion here on the board.

....they didn't do a transplant as the doc's said they didn't think it was necessary at the time....before he was dx'd he'd had a severe infection for months and had just been treating him with antibiotics...then his gums swole up so bad they covered his teeth...that's when they FINALLY did the proper blood work that showed his red cell count was almost nil...that's why I'm wondering if this reduction in his white count is a precursor to a return of the cancer...since he'd had such a time before with infection....I was tested to give bone marrow if he needs it but they said his brother or sister would be a better match....so I got put on the registry to give to anyone else who may need me to donate.

Thanks for your response and I'm glad you're better now...and won't give up hope as he did remarkably well with the chemo...he didn't get sick at all from it like most I've heard have...same with the lung tumor and surgery...the doctors said his case was unusual as they'd never had a case of leukemia and tumors before....and that really worries me now that it could have spread.

Thanks,

Amber

Here in Seattle through the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and of course depending on the type of cancer, but I beleive that almost all leukemia patients get transplants.
Ask the docs about yoru Dad's chromosomes.
Mine were normal, therefore not an indication of a relapse. When I was given the option of transplant it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make because of the chromosome fact. In most cases the crhomosomes can be a good indication of which direction one would take.

....thanks for your help and support Tripper...I appreciate it very much! :pals:

anything I can do to help.

And as I said above, feel free to PM if a thread is not convenient.

I had a friend who had AML and is in remission so I can understand what you are going through.

I hope that biopsy comes back clean.


Lighting a candle.

:)

....still waiting to hear the results...I appreciate your kindness!:)