Bloodwork question

[PattyG]

I know this is a question for the hematologist, but so far I've felt that doctors don't know much about MC so am asking a question here, just to see if anyone knows. Has anyone had a cancer market show positive (100%) for CD45? I think it has to do with lymphocytes and possible Hodgkins lymphoma (Dr. Google) but wondered if the test ever shows positive results due to lymphocytic colitis? My doc gave me choice of either getting a bone marrow biopsy, waiting and retesting blood again in 3 months or doing nothing, but she said she wouldn't do the 3rd. Am nervous so lean toward biopsy, but am taking family on vacation in 2 weeks and hate to worry if bad news. So
I opted to retest in 3 months. Does anyone know if LC sometimes causes a positive marker on blood test? Thank you.

[tex]

I've never heard of that, but that certainly doesn't mean that it's not possible. Like you, I googled it and couldn't find any information, but I have a Chat GPT40 account and it gave me the following answer:

Yes, lymphocytic colitis can be associated with a positive CD45 marker. CD45 is a common leukocyte antigen found on the surface of most hematopoietic cells, including lymphocytes. In lymphocytic colitis, there is an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes in the colon, which would express CD45. Therefore, a biopsy from a patient with lymphocytic colitis could show a positive CD45 marker due to the presence of these lymphocytes.

Note that I've caught ChatGPT making medical mistakes, on occasion, so an AI response can't be trusted as gospel truth — it has to be verified by checking the actual facts. That said, that response appears to be correct. Most likely the reason I've never heard of it before, is because normally, when diagnosing microscopic colitis, pathologists don't bother noting positive markers such as that. Please don't accept this as medical advice. Check it out with your doctors, just to be safe. But you can probably safely relax, while you're taking that family vacation.

Tex

[PattyG]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Tex! We’re leaving the unGodly heat of Texas, for the unGodly heat of Florida, ha.