Complete Blood Count

To take an active role in your chemotherapy plan, you should understand your blood counts and the actions you can take to help keep your counts up.

Complete blood count

A complete blood count (CBC)—sometimes referred to as your “numbers”—helps you and your doctor monitor the effects of your chemotherapy by measuring cells in your blood in relation to normal ranges. “Normal” ranges provide a reference, but your doctor and nurse will evaluate your specific counts and work with you to determine if there are any problems to address.

A complete blood count measures amounts of 3 types of cells in your blood

  • White Blood Cells (WBCs)
    WBCs help your body fight infection by protecting against foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. WBCs form a key part of your natural defenses, which are provided by your immune system. Neutrophils (NEW-truh-fils), a specific type of WBC, help protect against and fight infection. If your absolute neutrophil count (ANC) falls below normal, you have neutropenia. ANC is the typical measure of your body's ability to fight infection.
  • Red Blood Cells (RBCs)
    RBCs carry oxygen throughout your body, giving you energy and keeping your organs and tissues healthy. Hemoglobin (HEE-moh-glow-bin), also known as Hb, is the protein that makes blood red. It contains iron and carries oxygen in your body. Hematocrit (hee-MAT-oh-crit), or Hct, is the percentage of red blood cells in the bloodstream. If your Hb or Hct level is too low, you may have anemia (ah-NEE-mee-ah), in which case you may feel tired and fatigued.
  • Platelets (Plts)
    Platelets help your body stop bleeding by working with other blood factors to form a clot. A low platelet count, called thrombocytopenia (throm-boh-sy-toh-PEE-nee-ah), may lead to excessive bleeding or bruising.

Myelosuppressive chemotherapy can reduce the number of blood cells in your body, potentially disrupting your chemotherapy dose and schedule.

And it’s easy—you can do it! It's important for you to keep track of your blood counts.

Track your blood counts against normal ranges
Normal Ranges - Male Normal Ranges - Female
 White Blood Cells (WBC)
Neutrophils (ANC)
Red Blood Cells (RBC)
Hemoglobin (Hb)
Hematocrit (Hct)
Platelets (Plt)		 5,000-10,000/mm3
2,000/mm3 and above
4.5-5.3
14-18 g/dL
42%-52%
150,000-400,000/mm3		 5,000-10,000/mm3
2,000/mm3 and above
4.1-5.1
12-16 g/dL
37%-47%
150,000-400,000/mm3
mm = millimeters    g/dL = grams per deciliter

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