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Low WBC?

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Hello all and thank you for all of your posts and information that is available on this site.  I wad diagnosed three months ago with a WBC of 258 (age 37).  I am taking Dasatinib 100mg and after initially having headaches and shoulder/tailbone pain I have felt good.

I was wondering if anybody has had low wbc for an extended peiod of time.  My three month checkup showed that I was at 2.8.  The doctor seemed a tad bit concerned and mentioned that it should be higher by now but that it doesn't mean the treatment is not working.  My WBC has been consistent 2.8, 3.0, 3.0, 4.1, 2.8 for my last few checkups so my question is what is normal and has anybody stayed between 2.5-4.0 for a long time without any issues?  Thank you for any and all responses.

Hi there, and welcome!

Dasatinib can be myelosuppressive which means it can decrease bone marrow activity a bit, resulting in fewer red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

I too take dasatinib, and my white counts are always a bit on the low side - usually hovering between the 3 - 4 region. Normal range is often stated as 3.0 - 10, though I've seen it stated as 3.5 - 10 in places. Funnily enough, I have blood counts from before I had CML and my counts were around 4.5 - 5, so I was always at the lower end of the normal scale.

I suppose supressed white cells might not indicate dasatinib isn't working, but in fact working a bit too well! 

In terms of my experience with low-ish counts, I've had a couple of bacterial infections over the years. Perhaps if I had higher counts, I wouldn't have needed the antibiotics those times ... who's to know. However my doctor isn't too concerned about it - my neutrophils have nearly always remained above 1.0 bar one occasion, but it is monitored at every clinic I attend.

David.

Hello Colorado Guy, I’m from there also. Anyhow, 30 days after diagnosis, on Gleevec, my WBC count went from 94,000 to 1000. It stayed low for about 3 months and I was put on an antibiotic during this time. Everything turned out fine.