Abnormal Chromosomes

[SusanJ]

I went to the doctor yesterday with my dad. We got the final cytogenetic results from his bone marrow biopsy. The doctor said that my dad has this abnormal chromosome that he didn’t expect. All of this goes right over my head. Could someone please explain this to me? Is this the kind of chromosome that could be passed on and cause birth defects in future babies?

[patti]

Hi Susan,

The kind of chromosome abnormality your dad’s doctor is talking about is not genetic. It has to do with his MDS. Do you know which chromosome he said was abnormal? There are some types of MDS with certain chromosome abnormalities that respond better to treatment and others that respond worse. The defect is the result of the disease, not of a familial genetic defect.

If you can find out which chromosomes are affected (sometimes it’s one, sometimes its multiple), that would help folks here tell you what it means more clearly.

Best wishes,

patti

[SusanJ]

Thank you Patti. I will look in my notes when I get home to see which chromosome it is. I tell you, I feel like I am going to lose my mind worrying. I was so frantic thinking this might be passed on. You have eased my mind on that one. So it’s this disease that caused chromosomes to go crazy?

[lindajo]

Susan, The best thing you can do is to start requesting copies of every test result. Learning about this disease is a monumental task. Having the copies of the results will help you over time to look back as you learn new things. Havng them to reference can be crucial in noticing things mutiple physicians might miss. It will also make it easier to learn the lingo.

Also over time recommendations for running certain tests change. It could be helpful just to know when was the last time a test was run, such as iron counts, liver function test, blood sugar counts, chromosonal studies, FISH test.

Set up a notebook or file and get all past results in it.

[JSimon]

PLEASE HELP- I CANNOT FIND ANYTHING ON MDS WITH THE -3 CHROMOSOME

[Neil]

Hi Susan,
Abnormal chromosomes are generally a resuly of exposure to chemicals such as benzene, pesticides, herbicides and other toxic substances.
MDS patients are not born with abnormal chromosomes. They are acquired as a result of some lifestyle anomalys. It is the possibility of common exposures that might result in finding more than one MDS patient in a family. Something like a gas station or green house family business.

[Author]

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