Although chemotherapy is sometimes a necessary treatment for invasive cancer, it is unpleasant at best. One of the side effects of such aggressive drug therapy is an increase in your white blood cell count, known as leukocytosis.
Normal Leukocyte Levels
According to Elaine N. Marieb's "Human Anatomy and Physiology," a normal leukocyte count ranges from 4,800 to 10,800 cells per microliter of blood, but varies by age, sex and immune system condition.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is typically used with surgery and/or radiation to control the spread and growth of cancer. Chemo drugs target rapidly growing cell types---hair, gut endothelial cells and cancer cells.
Leukocytosis
Your body develops an immune response when exposed to chemotherapy drugs, including an increase in white blood cells to counter the drug and prevent secondary infections.
Complications
Leukocytosis is not normally dangerous, but if leukocytes reach extremely high levels, they can clump together with other blood elements, and negatively impact organ function, especially your brain and lungs.
Treatment
If leukocytosis reaches dangerous levels, a process called leukapheresis can be used to physically or mechanically separate white blood cells from your blood, which is returned to your body with a much lower leukocyte count.
Tags: white blood, blood cells, leukocyte count, white blood cells