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Blood count with cancer

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Suetheramble | 14:50 Thu 05th Mar 2009 | Body & Soul
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What exactly is a blood count when suffering from cancer and what should it be?
Thanl You
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A blood count when suffering from cancer is the same as a blood count when you are not.
Bolod count shows..number of red cells...if they are normal or not.
White cells if ther are normal or not.
A whole range of estimations of various things can be deduced from a blood count.

More details of what you had in mind please.
as farsas remember they need to check your white cell count has recovered since your last treatment before they give you the next dose (ie Chemo) if it hasnt they delay your treatment a little to allow for recovery. There is obviously a lot more to it, so ask they are always happy to explain.
Mamya x
aren't there 'markers' which show up in a persons blood if they're suffering from some perhaps undiagnosed cancers which would give a doctor some indication?
Yes ethandron. They thought my Dad had a tumour but they couldn't do a biopsy as his blood doesn't clot properly. They had to wait for the cancer to turn up in his blood tests to confirm. That took 5 months...!!!
There's some info here Sue - but it might make you more confused!
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp? page=17933
Sue - It would all depend on the type of cancer. The only count that I am personally aware of is for Prostate Cancer, which my husband has.
The blood count for this type of cancer is called a PSA test, which means the amount of Prostate Specific Antigen present in the blood, which indicates the presence of cancer.
It is measured against something called The Gleason Scale, where 2-5 is mild, 6-7 is moderate, and 8-10 and above is aggressive.
At the intial diagnosis my husband's Gleason scale measurement was 4, and he was treated first with 3 months hormone tablets to reduce the Testosterone which feeds the cancer, followed by 32 daily treatments of Radiotherapy, this was then followed by a further 3 months of the hormone reducing tablets. Thankfully, now 2 years down the line, he is remarkably well, and has gone from 4 monthly check ups, to 6 month check up, next is at end April, and if this one is OK too, he will then go on to a once a year check up for the rest of his life. He said the treatment was not painful, but tiring, and now feels fine. I thought I would share this with you, as it's possible that the question you asked was about this type of cancer, as it is very common among men, with 30,000 a year being diagnosed, and with 20,000 a year surviving. If this answer is not any help to you. Perhaps you could post the question again in the Health & Fitness category, as I have seen questions about various types of cancers answered in that category. I do hope your question doesn't involve anyone from your family or friends. But whatever the reason for your question, I do send you my best wishes. Schutz.
Schuzengel.....fanatstic answer....I love it when you talk dirty.
Sqad - Ooh!! you are naughty - but I like you. :-)
My Dad had liver cancer.
my mum had lung cancer and had a blood test for this 'marker'.
Does this help or not?

Tumour markers are substances produced by tumor cells or by other cells of the body in response to cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions. These substances can be found in the blood, in the urine, in the tumor tissue, or in other tissues. Different tumour markers are found in different types of cancer, and levels of the same tumour marker can be altered in more than one type of cancer. In addition, tumour marker levels are not altered in all people with cancer, especially if the cancer is early stage. Some tumor marker levels can also be altered in patients with noncancerous conditions.

To date, researchers have identified more than a dozen substances that seem to be expressed abnormally when some types of cancer are present. Some of these substances are also found in other conditions and diseases. Scientists have not found markers for every type of cancer.
thanks, interesting.
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Thank you all for advise.
I am sorry to say this info is for a friend whose mother has ovanian cancer and sadly was given 2 years. The time is drawing near and she has emailed me to say her mothers blood count was 3000 last year but at the present moment it has gone down to 2000. I really wanted to have a little knowledge of thesubject for when we next meet. I dont want to say good to bad news.
Thank you all once again.
Not being too technical sue.....that is not good news.
Question Author
I understand that!

i have got Prostate Cancer and because I also have a metal Aortic valve and a Pacemaker I cannot have any treatment other than a 3 monthly stomach injection of Zolodex and a tablet which I take daily, plus I am diabetic and have a lung disease for which I take Ventolin & Seretide125 twice daily, not to mention awful backache and shoulder pains due to (I think) typing these posts, but otherwise I feel pretty damn healthy. So cheer up you lot and thank your luky stars
Correction to spelling `lucky` stars.

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