Counts - What they mean

****UPDATED April 27, 2012

I’ve mentioned posting more information on Titus’ blood counts and what it means if a certain one gets too low. So here you go…

Many anti-cancer medications will affect the bone marrow and temporarily stop the making of red blood cells, white blood cells (neutrophils, monocytes, etc.) and platelets. This may cause anemia (low hemoglobin/red blood cells), and increased risk of infection (low white blood cells) and bleeding (low platelets). There are many blood tests that our Doctors perform each week to watch his blood counts.

• Hemoglobin (HGB) or Red Blood Cells: Normal is around 11 or 12 for Titus, less than 8 would generally require a blood transfusion.
• White Blood Cells (WBC): Fight infection – When low he is more likely to get sick from bacterial and viral infections.
• Neutrophils (ANC): these are a type of white blood cells that are very important in fighting bacterial infections. When Titus’ absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is low, less than 500, it is called neutropenia. He would be admitted to the hospital for antibiotics if he were to get a fever of 101.5 or higher during this time. His scheduled chemo will most likely be altered if his ANC is below 700. He is to be kept away from sick individuals at all times, however, the lower his ANC gets, the more precautions must be taken.
• Platelets (PLT): these clot the blood. When low, Titus is more likely to bruise easily, or have bleeding problems. If platelets get lower than 20,000, he will generally receive a transfusion.

Hemoglobin (HGB):

• Normal = 11/12
• Low (need transfusion) <8

Neutrophils (ANC):

• Normal >1500
• Mild neutropenia 1000-1500
• Moderate neutropenia 500-1000
• Severe neutropenia <500

Platelets (PLT):

• Normal >150,000
• Restrict Activity <50,000
• PLT transfusion <20,000

White Blood Cells (WBC):

• Normal range is about 4,500 – 11,000

As of April 20, 2012 his counts are:

• HGB = 8.4
• PLT = 299,000
• ANC = 730
• WBC = 2,180

As of April 27th, 2012 his counts are:

• HGB = 8.7
• PLT = 262,000
• ANC = 2730
• WBC = 4,400