Hi grumpytammi,
How long until you know everything worked? If by "worked" you mean "cured", there is no cure, but you can be happy that the treatment is working at least for now. 194 is an excellent count. There is no way to predict how long it will last, except that a strong response tends to last longer. If you get a good response, it is possible to re-treat.
This type of treatment is judged by the strength and duration of response, and the word "remission" is sometimes used interchangeably. One major study on Rituxan uses these definitions:
- CR = complete response (or complete "remission") if platelet count greater than 100k
- PR = partial response, counts 50k - 100k
- MR = minimal response, counts 30k - 50k
- NR = no response, counts less than 30k
- SR = sustained response, sustained at least 6 months
