Why do leukemia patients have to do bone puncture repeatedly?

In clinical work, some leukemia patients are often bored with frequent bone marrow aspiration, and their families are often difficult to understand.

In fact, it is very necessary to repeatedly perform bone marrow examinations for leukemia patients, the reason is that in addition to clear diagnosis, it is more important to observe the curative effect after treatment. For leukemia patients who have not remitted, usually 10 to 14 days after chemotherapy, bone biopsy is required to understand the treatment response of the last chemotherapy, help doctors determine the effect of this chemotherapy, and provide further treatment plans and drug choices. in accordance with.

After combined chemotherapy, the percentage of leukemia cells in the bone marrow decreased by less than 40% compared with that before chemotherapy, which indicates that the patient may not be sensitive to the chemotherapy drugs used. other medicines. In addition, bone marrow aspirate can also help doctors to judge the prognosis. If the percentage of leukemia cells in the bone marrow of a patient has not decreased significantly despite multiple regimens of chemotherapy, or has decreased for a while, but has risen to the level before treatment in a short period of time, it indicates that this is the case. The leukemia cells in the patient have primary drug resistance, which is difficult to treat and has a poor prognosis. Conversely, if the patient has sustained complete remission on every repeat bone marrow examination, the patient's prognosis is good. For patients with persistent remission, regular bone marrow examination can monitor the changes of the condition and prevent problems before they occur. Early detection, early treatment and early control of leukemia may occur at the beginning of relapse, so as to prolong the survival period and improve the curative effect.