How did RCD work for you??

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I came down with a serious case of CLL-linked AIHA 10-11 weeks ago. First, I was treated with Prednisone alone which didn't work and I needed 8 units of red blood transfusion in a short period. Then my onc put me on RCD (Rituxan/Cytoxan/Dexamethasone) according to Dr. Rai's protocol. I've received 4 treatments so far at 3-week intervals and my blood counts are almost normal. My latest CBC has a WBC of 10.1 (down from 383.0), a HG of 13.1 (up from 7.0), abs lymph of 4.1 and abs neutraphil of 4.6. I experience no side effects from the RCD, except for some sleeping problems.

Let me add that I'm 80-year old and was in w & w for 4 1/2 years since dx with increasing lymph counts.

I wonder what to expect next. Those of you who received successful RCD treatment for CLL & AIHA, would you kindly answer a few questions?

1.How many RCD treatments did you receive and how quickly did they work (mine started showing significant improvements by the second cycle)?

2.How long was it before your CLL started to progress after the treatments stopped?

3.Was the progression like the original one or faster?

4.What was your next treatment? Did you receive RCD again or something else? How did the follow-up treatment worked?

What I'm asking is your personal experience or the experience of a person well known to you. I would also appreciate to hear about our CLL experts' experiences with patients under similar conditions.

I will be very grateful for every relevant answer. I know that each of us is different as far as CLL is concerned and none of us can see into the future, but your answers would give me and the rest of the group valuable clues. If you prefer to respond with a personal e-mail, please feel free to do so although I believe, most of us could benefit by general information,

Andy Gach