Dr. Goswami Parth Rajendragiri
Pathology
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
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Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I am enquiring on behalf of my partner. He had blood tests done six years before, and his WBC was slightly elevated. He had them done again three years before and were still slightly elevated though there was no dramatic increase. Now, he had them done again, and WBC was again elevated (10.3). He had them repeated recently, and WBC was 13,000. I am wondering what the likelihood of it being CML (or other leukemia) is. He got a new tattoo a couple of days before the most recent blood test. Could this have contributed to the elevated WBC? Is WBC likely to be higher than 13,000 for something serious like CML? All other blood reports are normal.
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com,
Total count up to 11000 is the normal range. In blood cancer, that is leukemia; the total count goes beyond 50000 and almost near one lakh. So it could not be CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) or other forms of blood cancer.
Kindly attach the report to comment further.
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
Thank you for the reply.
I do not have the report, but I will request it from my GP. I have heard that CML can often be there with only a slight elevation of WBC. Could this be the case here, or is 13,000 not high enough? Also, how quickly does WBC rise in cases of CML or other leukemia?
Thank you.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com,
No. Mild total count elevation is usually not associated with leukemia. A mild rise in total count could be due to tattooing or temporary inflammation. In the case of cancer, premature cells like blast cells, promyelocytes, metamyelocytes, etc., raises significantly. I am giving comments based on the history provided.
If you attach the report, then I can check it.
Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
Thank you for the reply,
I have requested a blood report from my GP. He often gets pain in the upper left abdomen after eating. Could this indicate an enlarged spleen? And could this be connected to elevated WBC?
In cases of CML, how quickly and by how much does WBC generally increase?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com,
Pain in the upper left abdomen after eating could be related to some gastritis or gastric indigestion. It cannot be said conclusively about an enlarged spleen based on that complaint. USG (ultrasonogram) scan can reveal it, or a physical examination can exclude an enlarged spleen.
In CML (chronic myeloid leukemia), the count goes high gradually and is usually more than one lakh.
I hope this will help you.
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Pathology
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