Two Weeks In and Nervous

[Aqx99]

I am two weeks in to my treatment today. I'm still so new to all of this. I went to my medical oncologist this morning after my radiation treatment. My blood test showed my WBC to be a little low, but she is keeping me on the same dose of Xeloda for now. I'll be rechecked in a week. What are your experiences with Xeloda/radiation and WBC counts?

[CRguy]

I never had issues with low WBC and Xeloda personally.
You can get dose reductions if there are major issues ... BUTT the Oncs have set starting points
for neo-adjuvant chemoradiation and later, adjuvant chemo post resection ( and I had both )

ALSO consider that the radiation itself can have an impact on WBC levels due to the effect on bone marrow.
I found my lymphocyte counts were down in the low normal for a couple of years after chemoradiation,
BUTT my platelets and neutrophils, while sometimes low normal ... never tanked so I had to miss treatments.

Talk to your Onc if you are having any problems with the treatments !

Cheers on the Journey
CRguy

[JudeD59]

I didn't have any problems with low WBC counts during radiation/Xeloda, but I did with my infusion of Folfox after surgery. I know they are careful to keep a close eye on all your blood levels throughout the various treatments and will adjust dosages or delay a treatment if necessary.

I hope your levels are back up by your next appointment and that everything goes well.

Judy

[miles66]

I didn't have any issues with WBC either. My bloodwork throughout my first treatment with Xeloda was always good. When I started my second treatment combined with the Oxaliplatin, then the numbers dropped towards the end of treatment of bit.