Does Tagrisso cause low blood counts? - 1274472

grandmahoney
Posts:4

Since starting Tagrisso in March, my WBC has dropped to 3.80 K/UL, my hemoglobin to 11.10 G/DL, my RBC to 11.10 G/DL, hemocrit to 33.90 % and monocytes % increased to 11.50 %. All other blood indicators (not including cancer markers) were normal. My family doctor thinks this might be due to Tagrisso, but she isn't sure. Is this a possibility? I haven't discussed it with my oncologist, who is currently on vacation.

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Reply # - June 25, 2016, 11:28 AM

catdander
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Hi grand,

The blood counts you've provided are either within normal limits or just outside them. It may be tagrisso causing these effects though it usually doesn't effect counts in the extreme. At 3.8 your wbc are within normal range and the momocytes are just elevated. "Monocytes are a type of white blood cell that fight certain infections and help other white blood cells remove dead or damaged tissues, destroy cancer cells, and regulate immunity against foreign substances." http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/white-blood-cell-disor…

It's possible the tagrisso is causing this small change to the detriment of the cancer cells.

I hope you're feeling alright and living life. All the best of luck!

Janine

Reply # - June 27, 2016, 08:10 AM

grandmahoney
Posts: 4

Thanks for your quick response. I sent an e-mail to Astrazeneca, and they confirmed that a low WBC is a known Tagrisso side-effect. The low RBC and hemoglobin are not a known side-effect of the drug.

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