Blood Counts

Complete blood counts, or CBCs, are routine during treatment for childhood cancers. Blood is drawn from a vein or through the port (if your child has one). Blood counts are ordered to monitor a child's response to treatment and, in the leukemias, to make sure that there are no cancer cells in the peripheral blood.

Several blood components are monitored in CBC and if the values are too far out of designated ranges, treatment may be stopped or altered until the counts recover. One of the important blood counts that is watched is the white blood cell count, or WBC. If the white blood counts are too low, the child is neutropenic. Neutropenic means that the immune system is depressed, that the child is immunocompromised and unable to fight off infections. It is measured by the ANC, absolute neutrophil count:

ANC = the percentage of neutrophils (segs and bands added together, these are the neutrophils that fight infection) multiplied by the total WBC

If the ANC is >1000, the patient can live a relatively normal life. If it is 500-1000, he is entering the danger zone. If it is <500, he has to avoid crowded places. Under 500 is designated "neutropenic". ANC is also known as AGC (absolute granulocyte count).

What is Neutropenia? on the realnurseed.com site.

The following web sites have excellent blood count information:

Blood Counts Explained, on the Childhood Leukemia Center by Nancy Keene
Blood Counts Explained, on the Univ of Iowa College of Nursing site
Ed Uthman's home page. Blood cells, lab tests, much more linked to from this personal/professional page.
University of Virginia's site on blood cells. This is a tutorial for their students, and an excellent source of information on blood cells.
Blood counts and ANC on the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati, Patient Education Program site
ANC calculator on the Cure Hodgkins.com site
ANC calculator on the Free Pharmacokinetics website.
Blood - a discussion of the different cells that make up blood on Kimball's Biology Pages.
An Introduction to Human Hematology. All about the cells in the blood. This is a course at North Dakota, and may not remain on the web. But while it does, it is good!
C.L.A.S.S. Kids. Normal pediatric liver-related blood count values. 1/08 note: The C.L.A.S.S. site is being re-organized so you may have to search for where they present this information.

General Disclaimer

These pages are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to render medical advice. The information provided on Ped Onc Resource Center should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you suspect your child has a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.

contact webmaster/ped-onc home/last updated 5/09