White blood count

Question,

I just returned from my oncologist and received good and bad news.

The good news is that my psa continues to drop, now at 0.2.

The bad news is that my white blood count has dropped from 3.2

to 2.9 in a 3 month period. My Absolute neutrophil count is 1.5 which

is the low end of normal. My chemo ended 6 months ago and the

oncologist mentioned that my WBC should be stabilized by now.

When my WBC was 3.2 no one seemed concerned. Now that it has

dropped by .3, concern has risen.

I'm scheduled for another blood test in one month to recheck the

WBC.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Thanks,

Jim

[gl8_give1fordad]

Whether it's chemo or radium 223 etc all these treatments can adversely impact bloodcounts. Be especially watchful of your neutrophils . Neutrophils are the wbc's that fight off bacterial infection. This can be successfully combatted with a monthly injection of Neulasta . Talk to your MedOnc about that. If you do initiate Neulasta consider taking Claritan to mitigate Neulasta side effects.

All the best to you!

Dominic

[maack1]

I expect the concern of your physician is the information explained herein I extracted from a paper on the internet:

Low white blood cell counts (neutropenia)

White blood cells help protect the body by fighting bacteria, viruses and other foreign invaders that cause infections. One type of WBC, neutrophils, make up the majority of WBCs and are the body’s main defense against infections. Neutropenia results from an abnormally low level of neutrophils in the blood.

When your neutrophil count is low, your doctor may delay further treatment or recommend a lower dose until your WBC count returns to a normal level. Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics as a preventive measure and recommend a variety of precautions, such as hand washing.

There are also certain drugs or other therapies that may be used to treat neutropenia. For example, growth factors (also known as granulocyte-colony stimulating factors, or G-CSFs) may be used to stimulate the bone marrow to produce neutrophils. Some growth factors include Neupogen®, Neulasta®, and Leukine®.

Test: WBC

Average: 4.5 - 11.0

Abnormal: 1.5 or below

[Hidden in reply to maack1]

Thanks, I knew I could count on you to respond.

[maack1]

You have my email address and I am pretty sure you are aware that I am

"Always as close as the other end of your computer to help address any prostate cancer concerns."