Low white blood cells long after chemo

My white blood counts remain below 4, usually aroud 3.2 to 3.6, and I finished chemo just about exactly two years ago.  My onc says that chemo is the reason, that my blood counts otherwise are fine, and it will eventually get better.  Who knows?  More important, from an infection standpoint, is to calculate your absolute neutrophil count.  If it is above 1500  (1.5) it is probably OK, but the higher the better.  Mine runs around 2200 (2.2).  

 Marilyn

My WBC & platlets have been consistantly low since chemo; onc. says this happens quite often, and is 'normal'; I feel fine, am not sick any more than usual (bruises take longer to heal); there is nothing I can do to change it, so I'm just not worrying about it.

Packer,

My platelets and red blood cells recovered well from chemo, but I was leukopenic (low total white blood cell count), neutropenic (low neutrophil component of white blood cell count) and lymphopenic (low lymphocyte component of white blood cell count) for more than a year after chemo ended.  My total white blood cell count and neutrophil count edged up into the bottom range of normal about 15 months after the last chemo, I think.  My lymphocyte count is still low.

I too had a bone marrow biopsy, about 5 months after chemo because my counts were so bad then, and it was normal.  Not just OK, normal.

My oncologists (I see a regular one and a university-affiliated one) advise nothing more.  At this point, I don't seem to get infections more than other people or than I did before chemo, although for quite a while after chemo I would be layed-out if I caught anything at all.  So if I'm immunocompromised, it's not severe.  The other question, which they are unable to answer, is if I have an increased risk of myelodysplasia or leukemia.  I worry about that.  But we're not doing any evaluation other than period CBC because, as far as I know, there's nothing I could do about it to prevent it even if I am at increased risk compared to someone who didn't develop these problems. 

It is not unusual to see low counts after cytoxic systemic chemotherapy. I am over years out from dx and I still run low WBCs. I do take a few supplements daily. Flaxseed, fish oil, etc. I find if I hold these supplement for a week, my counts bump up abit. My onc is ok with it.

My WBC is 3,3 over two years after finishing chemo. My platelets are also low at 130. I do find myself worrying about recurrence or other possibilities. But, I try to stop myself and stay in a healthy frame of mind.

Has anyone had their lymphocytes stay as low as .6? I had chemo that ended in August 2014 and then radiation during October and November. My white count was up at 4 in February, and then it plummeted. But, my lymphocytes just seem to stay at .6. That seems very low to me. Has anyone had this as a longterm problem?

Hi. Is anyone with low neutrophils and WBC counts taking Tumeric? My white blood cells are consistently under 3.0 (2.7) and my neutrophils are very low at 1.2 (last blood work June 19, 2014). I used to be very worried about it but now I am pretty sure it is because of my tumeric and green tea consumption.

I am BRCA1 pos. and had my prophy procedures done in March 2013. Before the procedures I needed to go off tumeric 2 weeks prior (I also quit the green tea) and on the day of the procedure all my counts were in normal range (3.5 for WBC, etc.).

I figured the combo of green tea and tumeric daily was giving me a gentle type chemo. I rarely get sick and if I do it is just 5-7 days and gone.

I read somewhere (science daily I think) that neutrophil nets could possibly be a mechanism of metastasis seeding. So I went back on the tumeric and green tea. I have no clue what my numbers are now. I will book an appointment soon and get tested.

Just thought I would mention my experience.

Hi Carol - my lymphocytes were at 0.8 for 2 years after treatment (feb 2012, feb 2013), but went up to 1.2 in June 2014. WBC are consistently around 2.7 (ref range is 4.5 to 11) so always low. I would have been really worried but when I went off everything (tumeric, green tea) in Feb, March 2013 for my prophys, all my low counts went up to normal!

A year after my procedures (June 2014) everything was low again. I will be going to get my blood work done again soon and I hope my numbers are still low!

So, I was worried about lymphocytes of .6. Just had a blood test and they were up to .9 (the bottom of normal). BUT, listen to this. Suddenly my neutrophils have fallen to 1.0. My oncologist seems unconcerned and he is a hematologist too. But, I remember that 1.0 as being the cutoff for chemo. It is a very low count. Has anyone had an experience similar to this?

Hi birajadas, welcome to Breastcancer.org!

Until you get responses from other community members here, we recommend you take a look at this general explanation on How Chemotherapy Affects the Immune System from our main site.

Hope this helps!

The Mods

My wife had low counts, even six years after chemo (FEC-T). She went on mushroom supplements and her neutrophil count over doubled in only weeks. Sound too good to be true? Look up the study done in the US. They gave Maitake D extract to patients with myelodysplastic disease, and they experienced improved counts as well.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25351719

There don't appear to be any contraindications, aside from allergies or low blood sugar levels. Dosage is important in that too much will be suppressive of some measurements of the immune system, For maitake D extract, 3mg / kg body weight, 2x daily appears to be optimal.

suziq1960- I just ran into this thread and saw your post. I'm a year out from neoadjuvant chemo, had some complications (of course lol), and I'm still hovering with lower white and red cell counts, and platelets. MO is requesting blood work every 2 mos to monitor, and thinks it's residual from the chemo. Not liking it with all this flu scare going around! I feel like I'm fighting some kind of cold right now- frustrating as I was pretty healthy before.