What does it meant to be MRD negative? What does this mean for my long term outcomes?

What does it mean to be MRD negative?

So MRD negativity means that in a patient who otherwise is in remission by visual inspection of the bone marrow, we also have performed other tests for small amounts of disease using more advanced technologies. And we don't detect any residual evidence of leukemia. It's important to note that this doesn't necessarily mean that the leukemia is entirely gone or that the patient is necessarily cured, but it means that with the best available technology we have, we can't detect any leukemia. In general, this translates to a lower risk of relapse and better long-term outcomes. But again, still does not necessarily mean cure, but it's better to be more negative than to be MRD positive.