Bone Marrow at 65% after 6 months Imbruvica and ^ months of Gazyva

[alijoel]

My question is centered on expectations and bone marrow results. What is the expected bone marrow cellularity after 8 months of Imbruvica and 6 months of Gazyva infusions? My bone bone marrow cellularity before initial treatment were at 95% and after now are at 65%. I was hoping for more of a obliteration than a reduction, but maybe my expectations were off.

My other tests all came back great, lymph nodes shrunk and no other cancer detectable with the PET scan. I understand that Imbruvica continues to work at the cancer, but I am wondering if I should be seeing better results in the bone marrow after 8 months of Imbruvica and 6 Gazyva treatments? Thoughts?

[Hidden]

i'm confused. What is your last bloodwork. My doctor wouldn't even think of another bmb unless my blood counts were almost perfect. are yours? by the way-is it you or your mother?

[PlanetaryKim]

I also had set myself up with an expectation of a faster marrow clearance with ibrutinib than may be happening. I had read this article (from 2013): ascopost.com/issues/may-15-...

And at the end, under Results, it says that after just 6 months on ibrutinib monotherapy (not even gazyva in there), the patients with bone marrow biopsy showed 82% reduction in "tumor infiltration by CLL cells".

In my own case, my CLL starts to progress quite rapidly (within 2-3 days) of even a short stoppage of ibrutinib. That makes me think I have had very little marrow clearance. Althugh I am fine as long as I keep taking the ibrutinib. I have been on a very low dose (1 pill daily) for most of that time. I am now on 2 pills daily so maybe more clearance happening. I don't know.