Interpretations please?

[camiboxer]

I got some copies of my dads pathology report. More confusion is settling in. Can anyone help? It’s all Greek to me.

Peripheral blood film:
An occasional red blood cell has prominent coarse basophilic stippling. The erythrocytes show mild anisopoikilocytosis. Schistocytes and dacryosytes are rarely encountered. The platelets are of variable size ranging from small to large. There is unusual granulation. The segmented neutrophils are without evidence of hypersegmentation.

The erythrocytes are without evidence of rouleaux formation. Some of the lymphocytes have increased cytoplasm with some of these having azurophilic cytoplasmic granules.

Bone marrow aspirate:
There is marked erythroid hyperplasia with associated megaloblastoid nuclear changes. In some regions of the slide, the cellularity consists of erythroid precursors. The myeloid series is spared the megaloblastoid changes. The erythroid component is estimated to account for for than 80% of the nucleated marrow cells. A rare megakaryocyte of the usual type is identified. Histologic sections of the aspirate clot are noncontributory secondary to low cellularity. The iron stain preformed on an aspirate smear shows markedly increased storage iron. There are abundant ringed sideroblasts.

The “diagnosis” from the biospy says;
Hypercullular marrow with megaloblastoid erythroid hyperplasia. Increased marrow iron.

We were told yesterday that he only had 1% blasts yet this report says “abundant”. Is anything more than NONE considered abundant? I don’t understand the majority of the words, much less how to put them together and decipher them.

It also says, “possible myelodysplastic syndrome”. Yet we have been told for a month now that it IS in fact MDS…..mind boggling.
Susi

[katiebear]

Susi,

I really can’t help, but I know exactly how you feel. I just read my dad’s BMB last weekend, and I felt exactly the same as you. It’s very overwhelming. I do know my dad’s diagnosis is RAEB2. His byopsy is very different from your dad’s. I’m sorry I can’t help, but I wanted to tell you that you’re not alone.

Katie

[jeff b]

Susi,

I tried to take your post and replace some of the terms with more understandable phrases. Some of them are difficult to convert but I think it should help a little.

Peripheral blood film:
An occasional red blood cell has prominent coarse basophilic stippling. The red blood cells show mild abnormal size and shape. Fragments of red blood cells and teardrop shaped red blood cells are rarely encountered. The platelets are of variable size ranging from small to large. There is unusual granulation. The segmented neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that help fight infection, are without evidence of having more segments than normal.

The red blood cells are without evidence of being stacked together in long chains. Some of the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that help provide an immune respons have increased cytoplasm with some of these having azurophilic cytoplasmic granules.

Bone marrow aspirate:
There is marked increase in the number of young red blood cells that are maturing abnormally. In some regions of the slide, the cellularity consists of young red blood cell (precursors). The white cell series is spared the abnormal maturation changes. The young red cells component is estimated to account for for than 80% of the nucleated marrow cells. A rare gigantic cell that splits off fragment cells that enter the bloodstream as platelets of the usual type is identified. Histologic sections of the aspirate clot are noncontributory secondary to low cellularity. The iron stain preformed on an aspirate smear shows markedly increased storage iron. There are abundant ring shaped iron deposits.

The “diagnosis” from the biospy says;
Too many cells within the bone marrow with marked increase in the number of young red blood cells that are maturing abnormally. Increased marrow iron.

Jeff

[camiboxer]

Well why didn’t they just say that? HAHA
Thanks Jeff, much appreciated. Your far more easily “readable” explanation should be the new norm.
Thanks again!
Thanks to you Katie as well for your support!

[patti]

Jeff,

I think you should go into business interpretting this stuff! I’m with Susi, how come they can’t just write it that way? Sure made more sense to me reading your version.

Maybe it’s just the lab, Susi, because my MIL’s was not this way at all. I was able to understand it because it was written in English so I wonder if it depends on the lab as to the mumbo jumbo they use?

Take care. You’re doing the right thing by learning all you can right now.

Patti

[Author]

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