Glossary beginning with M

M

Major Cytogenetic Response

A reduction in the percentage of cells expressing the Philadelphia Chromosome to 35% or less in a CML patient.

Major Molecular Response

Sigifying an optimal response to TKI therapy; also written as MR3 (3 log reduction from diagnosis) and/or 0.1% Bcr-Abl. (see MMR)

Minimal Residual Disease

Small amounts of abnormal cells remaining, even when blood and marrow may appear to be normal; the amount residual cells can only be determined by molecular testing techniques such as qRT-PCR.

MMR

Sigifying an optimal response to TKI therapy; also written as MR3 (3 log reduction from diagnosis) and/or 0.1% Bcr-Abl. (see Major Molecular Response)

Molecular Response

Levels of response to therapy shown by q-PCR testing. MR3 to MR5 are equivalent to reductions in levels of Bcr-Abl1 from 0.1% (MR3) down to as low as 0.001% (MR5).

Molecular Targeted Therapy

See TKI- tryrosine kinase inhibitor.

mRNA

Messenger RNA: in CML the oncogene BCR-ABL1 duplicates as mRNA (Bcr-Abl1) which moves out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm where it translates as a signalling protein, a receptor tyrosine kinase which is constitutively active, leading to uncontrolled.

Myeloblasts

An immature cell found in the bone marrow and not normally in the peripheral blood. Normally there are 0% myeloblasts in the peripheral blood and 0-5% blasts in the bone marrow.

Myelosuppression

A decrease in the ability of the blood cell-producing tissues of bone marrow to produce all types of blood cells, especially neutrophils and platelets.

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