Regular testing and checkups are important
To help ensure that you have the best possible outcome from your treatment, your doctor will want to see how you are responding to your CML therapy on a regular basis. It is also important to know if you are experiencing any side effects. As a result, regular monitoring, testing, and exams are recommended for all patients taking TKI treatment for CML.
Here are some additional tests that may be conducted by your doctor to help monitor your progress and see if your dosage or treatment needs to be adjusted:
Test
Purpose
Physical Exams
Your doctor will check your overall health and see if you are experiencing any side effects
As part of your physical exam, your doctor may weigh you and examine you for swelling and other signs of fluid retention. Rapid weight gain may indicate that fluid retention is severe and/or requires treatment
Kidney Function
Tests
Your doctor may monitor your kidney function, especially if you have a history of reduced kidney function
Liver Function
Tests
Your doctor may monitor your liver function. In some patients, treatment may be adjusted or temporarily stopped based on the results of liver function tests
Blood Cell
Monitoring
Your doctor may also regularly monitor your blood cell levels for reductions in the number of different types of blood cells. These can occur as a result of treatment or from your condition.
There are 3 different types of blood cell tests that your doctor may want to conduct:
- Hematologic—measures the total number of white blood cells in the body
- Cytogenetic—measures the number of cells in the blood or bone marrow have the Ph chromosome
- Molecular (PCR)—measures the amount of BCR-ABL protein in the blood or bone marrow
Therapeutic Drug
Monitoring (TDM)/
Blood Level
Testing
Your doctor may wish to measure the concentration of your medication in your blood from time to time
Set aside some extra time at your next appointment to talk to your doctor about these tests and any other questions you may have.
