Today in the clinic I got the results of the tests they did last time. The chimerism test was the same as the previous (to be expected); The latest DLI will kick in shortly, and I hope it will be the last.
The BCR-ABL test showed a weak positive, as it has done in the past. The consultant assures me that it may be a false positive, or it may be that there are some residual bad cells that will always be there and there is nothing to be concerned about. I asked what would happen if the test really is positive ... and there are some things they can do. One is to change my drug regime, and another is to give a large dose of DLI, in the hope that the donor lymphocytes will kill the leukaemia cells. In other words, it is worth doing the test! They normally do a BCR-ABL test every three months up to two years post transplant. There is not much science behind this, but after two years they just stop.
My blood counts are all good, and I am well, stronger than I have been since getting ill.
