I am now on my 42nd month on ibrutinib as part of the OSU clinical trial.
The abdomen showed no adenopathy. No abnormal nodes. None. No big nodes!
WOW!
My pelvis did show one plump node in the left external iliac area (drains the lymph from the left side of GU tract) that was borderline enlarged and probably 2 millimeters bigger than it was before.
Different techniques, different doctors, different times. I don't think the 2 mm. means anything and either does Dr. Byrd so I refuse to worry.
I switched to the less precise technique of MR to avoid the potential cancer causing risks of ionizing radiation of the many CT scans that are part and parcel of clinical trials.
When relapses happen with ibrutinib, they often start in the nodes. And that clearly is not happening in my case. And that is great news.
The other great news was that my blood tests done at OSU for the two common mutations that can lead to resistance to ibrutinib were negative, namely the downstream gain of function mutation of PLCγ2 or the C481S mutation at the BTK binding sites that prevents ibrutinib from irreversibly (covalently) binding. Either one of these mutations could turn back on the signaling. Blocking BTK signaling is the key to the success of ibrutinib in handling the CLL clone, so if the blockade is broken than will lead to resistance and eventually relapse
It is not a perfect test, but I had neither one at detectable levels.Tomorrow I go for IVIG for my still dismal levels of immunoglobulins and to keep my auto-immune ITP at bay. I will also have routine labs drawn, but I am not expecting any surprises
A week later I am back at OSU for my 3 month check-up.
Flying to Ohio in the late fall and all winter is not predictable, but what I can predict is good care and what I can anticipate is more good good news as I am heading towards 4 years on ibrutinib.If you want a personal response, or just want to stay in touch, please email me at bkoffmanMD@gmail.com. I have no other way of contacting. Thanks. Stay strong. After all, we are all in this together. And please visit our website: http://cllsociety.org for the latest news and information.