I had blood work done after the completion of my Rituxan. It was called CD19 or CD20 - the results just say not identified. I believe the test is checking for B cells.
Has anyone else had this blood test?
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I had blood work done after the completion of my Rituxan. It was called CD19 or CD20 - the results just say not identified. I believe the test is checking for B cells.
Has anyone else had this blood test?
No, never had that test. How were your results of that test?
I am waiting for my Mayo dr to call me and explain it. The nurse of my pulmonologist here in my hometown said the test just read not identified, she wasn't sure what that meant and faxed it to Mayo.
B cells have different proteins on their surfaces that enable them to function, and one of them is called CD20. Because rtx is an antibody to CD20, it binds to CD20 and this kills the B cell. Measuring CD20 shows how well the rtx treatments wiped out your B cell population.
Oh thanks Sangye, I think I asked you about this blood test a while ago and I called it something else, oops!
Reviving this thread to see if anyone has more information. :)
I just had this test done (4 weeks post last rituxan treatment) and the results came back all zeros. No cd19 b cells and no cd20 b cells.
Is this the desired result? Very little information available in layman's terms and Dr's explanation was as clear as mudd.
That's the desired result. CD 19 and CD 20 are genes found on the surface of B cells. Rituximab destroys all the B cells in circulation, so if you want to measure the efficacy of ritux you can measure the CD19 and CD20 levels. As the B cells start to repopulate, the levels increase, which means the ritux is wearing off.
Hi, Sangye! :-) Been a long time!
Newbie got the answer and I learned something already this morning, from none other than Sangye, again.
Hi Sangye, hope this finds you well. Nice to hear from you.
Dale
WHAT???!! Hi Sangye, hope all is well!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sangye
Hi Sangye!! Good to hear from you. Don't be such a stranger...Quote:
Originally Posted by Sangye
LOL Hi guys, nice to see you. :biggrin1:
I wanted to say Hi too while you are still on here. We miss you.
Hahaha. Hi Debra! Nice to see all of you. I miss you too and hope you're all doing well. :smile1:
Sangye, it is comforting to know that you are at least sort of lurking on the forum! Most of us are doing OK and I hope the same for you!:smile1:
That's really good to hear.
I'm okay. Not sure the rtx is working that well anymore, but since it's still doing something and there aren't any alternatives for me we're plugging along with it.
To show you how much I know about cd19 and cd 20 I checked my folder and 19 is Crosby, Stills and Nash, 20 is Abba.
Sangye, think of you often if not daily, is there a plan "B"?
Dale
Right now I get rtx every 4 months. We were doing a single half-dose infusion and now we've bumped it up to a single full dose. Doesn't seem to have made a big difference though. Plan B is to do it every 3 months. There is no Plan C! :blink:
It's a big HI from Australia too Sangye.
I'm not sure that I am too keen on your plans, and if you are a fan of Gibbs from NCIS, there is always a Plan C :hug1:
Hi Michelle! I don't watch NCIS so I don't get the reference, but at least for the time being we don't need no stinkin' Plan C. :biggrin1:
HA! Blazing Saddles... great movie.... Or, if you like, Cheech and Chong, Up in Smoke. But, as I was looking up the saying to make sure I had the right movie, I discovered that the phrase was first used in a 1927 novel and reused many, many times afterward.Quote:
we don't need no stinkin' Plan C
Well, I muddled along for quite some time on a failed plan B (and some 'good ideas that didn't work) and then... plan R (Rituxan) emerged out of no where.
I'm convinced medicine still has some wonderful surprises in store for us.
Heck, back when I was diagnosed treating WG AT ALL was a major break through with only five years track record.
There is more reason to hope than to not.
Did you happen to watch the hbo special that drz posted? Most excellent... You can watch it on-line....Quote:
There is more reason to hope than to not
http://www.wegeners-granulomatosis.c...y-viruses.html
I saw the mention of it and then forgot about it again. I will put it on my short list. It sounds great.
Its chromecastable, too (if that is a word). You can get chromecast at walmart, bigbuy, amazon..... nice little device.... anything on youtube can be chromecast....