Treatment Labs, Week #2...

[r4c7]

Hello all.

Latest results from the high dose trial I am taking part in:

8/13/07 (first shot)
Baseline PCR
22,100,000 IU/mL  

8/20/07
1,780,000 IU/mL  

Not sure if I'm getting double dose of Pegasys and 1600 mcg of Copeg, SOC, or a mix of SOC and higher dose.  Hep doc recommends cutting Copeg from 8 servings to 6.  Sides have been quite tolerable so far.  Trial is 48 weeks with 24 week follow-up.

r4c7

[r4c7]

FIGuy - They do pcr's weekly for the first four weeks, then every two weeks, then, I believe, at week's 12, 24, and 48.  

jmjm - Actually, I had the same thought you did.  As far as rbc's, they actually increased slightly.  Perhaps its was the rate of drop in the WBCs that was the concern and not the amount.  But when I see the hep doc next week, I'm gonna ask the question - because it's not part of the treatment protocol.  Will post.

[jmjm530]

Since you took the viral load test the same day as your shot, I assume the blood was drawn for the test before your injection?

Assuming so, nice one week drop, however I see no reason to drop the ribavirin unless it's part of the treatment protocol. Ribavirin is sometimes dropped if hemoglobin falls too fast, not WBC. In fact, most docs don't even look at WBC, but the WBC fraction called ANC (absolute neutrophils). And if they're too low, they don't reduce ribavirin but they reduce the interferon. That said, your WBC is not even low, so I'm wondering what kind of reasoning your doc is using. Is your doc a liver specialist or just a GI administering a trial protocol? The feedback you're getting doesn't make sense to me.

-- Jim

[FlGuy]

That's a good result for a week - better than a log.  I'm glad to hear that they give you up-to-date lab results.  Looks like your on your way to quickly getting to und.  They do pcr's weekly, or do they begin to spread out the timing?  I upped the interferon in the first 4 weeks of tx, with doc's approval.  Got me to und fast.  It wasn't that bad.  Good luck as you go on.

[r4c7]

To answer your question, the 1,780,000 IU/mL is after the first seven days of treatment, which was one shot of Pegasys on day 1 and Copeg, 8 pills daily for a week. I took the second shot right after the blood draw.    

As far as the drop in Copeg from 8 pills to 6, there is apparently some concern about a reduction in white blood cells, which dropped from 7.7 baseline to 5.2.

Incidentally, the trial is an induction, high-dosing trial put on by Hoffman-LaRoche (the same one tjaloha is in).  

[FlGuy]

Nice numbers.  with the dates of 8/13 and 8/20, does that mean the viral test is after ONE complete week of tx? If so, even better.

When you say cut copegus from 8 serving to 6, what does that mean?  Reduce from 8 pills to 6? And if so, why?  Did you also get results of a cbc?