Hematologic Testing and CHR
When you're first diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) there are so many leukemia cells in your blood and bone marrow that your blood counts are abnormal. After starting treatment, most people have a decline in the number of leukemia cells.
Once you are on treatment it is important to keep track of your blood counts. Hematologic testing checks to see what your blood counts are and whether they are getting back to normal. A complete blood count (CBC) measures the numbers of different kinds of cells from a sample of your blood, including white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and blast cells (the abnormal immature white blood cells that are characteristic
of leukemia).
Your doctor will want to have your blood tested at intervals to see if your counts are returning to normal. If you don't achieve a complete hematologic response (CHR), your oncologist may want to explore possible reasons with you.
You may have had only mild symptoms, or none at all when you were diagnosed. But being free of symptoms is one of the definitions of reaching a complete hematologic response (CHR).
It's a goal reached by most people who are treated for CML.
Hematologic Testing
General recommended treatment milestone:
CHR 3 months after starting treatment
Once you're diagnosed, a baseline complete blood count (CBC) is usually performed right away. After that, CBCs are done "on a regular basis." Here are the elements of a complete hematologic response (CHR): |
| Even if you reach a CHR within the 3 months usually recommended, your oncologist still needs to confirm that your treatment is working. This calls for more sensitive tests than a CBC. |
| WBC |
White blood cell count |
Back to normal |
| PLT |
Platelet count |
Back to normal |
| |
Blast cells (abnormal immature WBCs—leukemia cells) |
None detected |
| |
Spleen |
Normal size |
| |
CML signs and symptoms |
None |