Neutropenia
About Cancer-Related Neutropenia

Neutropenia (New-tro-pee-nee-ah) is the term used to describe the condition when your neutrophil count in your blood is too low. Neutrophils (new-tro-phil) are a type of white blood cell that kills bacteria. White blood cells are the cells in your body that fight infections or germs. Your bone marrow (the spongy part of your bones) produces these cells along with other types of blood cells. Neutrophils are the first line of defense when your body needs to fight an infection so they are monitored closely. Think of them as your knights in shining armor coming to rescue you from an infection or germ.

Why Neutrophils Are Important

Because the neutrophils are the first line of defense it is very important for your doctor and nurses to follow your neutrophil count (meaning the number of neutrophils that you have available to fight an infection). You may hear your nurse/doctor discussing your "counts". They are referring to the number of different cells you have including your white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. They get these numbers from your blood tests, and it is called a Complete Blood Count (CBC). A CBC is monitored at different times before and during your chemotherapy treatments.

What is an Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)?

The formula that your healthcare provider uses to find your ANC is below:

(Total # of WBC) x (% of Neutrophils) = ANC

How to calculate your ANC

When calculating the Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) we multiply the total number of White Blood cells by the Percent of Neutrophils (sometimes also called polys or segs) and the bands.

1. Take the percent of neutrophils (may also be polys or segs) + percent bands = Percent



2. Convert the decimal by dividing by 100 (Example 52% = 52/100 = 0.52) *move the decimal 2 points to the left



3. Multiply this number by the total White Blood Cells (WBC)

(Total # of WBC) x (% of Neutrophils) = ANC

Example: WBC=4000, Neutrophils=50%, Bands=6%

1. 50+6=56



2. 56 divided by 100 = 0.56



3. 0.56 x 4000 = 2240 = ANC

What is an abnormal ANC?

An abnormal ANC is fewer than 1500 cells per mm³. The severity of neutropenia is categorized as mild with an ANC of 1000-1500 cells per mm³, moderate with an ANC of 500-1000 cells per mm³, and severe with an ANC of fewer than 500 cells per mm³. The risk of bacterial infection is related to the severity and duration of neutropenia. The longer you are neutropenic, the greater the risk that you will develop an infection.