Question about platelets

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Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Question about platelets

Postby Punky44 » Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:37 pm

Question—

My mom has had 4 chemos so far and each time her platelets have dropped although they are still in range.

They started in the 300, then high 200s, low 200s, and yesterday they were 171.

(Our chart lists the normal range as 150-450.)

Would they delay chemo if she drops below 150? I am nervous we are headed in that direction bc it keeps dropping. The oncologist never mentioned anything but I’ve just been tracking the trend myself.
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

hiker
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:15 am

Re: Question about platelets

Postby hiker » Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:43 pm

My platelets have been all over the place. From a high of 307 right before I started chemo to a low of 101. Not once did I have chemo suspended due to low platelets.

hiker
Colonoscopy 2/17, 5cm tumor descending
Diagnosed stage iv, liver mets 3/17
Colon resection 3/17
Told surgery not an option, get my affairs in order
Meet w/MSK team 5/01/17
Folfox(3rds) 5/17-6/17
Liver resection/implant HAI pump 7/17
HAI pump chemo(5rds) 8/17-2/18
Folfiri+Vectibix(11rds) 8/17-2/18
Spot on chest CT 10/17
Lung biopsy (that was fun) 11/17
Nocardia bacterial infection w/spread to brain (this is serious) 11/17
IV antibiotics 12/17-2/18
Oral antibiotics 3/18-12/18
Clear of cancer since surgery

User avatar
Jack&KatiesMommy
Posts: 640
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2011 1:08 pm
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Question about platelets

Postby Jack&KatiesMommy » Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:19 pm

My platelets are now always low....I have had chemo when they were in the high 70's and low 80's on multiple occasions.
Cynthia
Mommy to Jack (8) now (18) and Katie (4) now (14)
(My Most Precious Things)
Dx 8/11 Stage IV CRC (liver mets) CEA 2,600+
9/11 Folfiri 2/12: Failed Liver Resection
5/12 HAI pump/removed primary
4/13 Liver Resection
8/13-12/15 (10) RFAs lungs
5/17: Upper Left Lobe of lung resected.
02/18: 3 new lymph mets lung
05/18: Keytruda (MSS w/Intermediate TMB): NED CEA: 66.4, 39.2, 23.8, 13, 3.5 1.8, 1.0, 2.8 3.9, 5.0, 5.6, 1.5, .8,

rp1954
Posts: 1853
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:13 am

Re: Question about platelets

Postby rp1954 » Tue Dec 18, 2018 4:04 pm

The oncologists usually delay or stop treatments below 50 to 100; doctors vary. Platelet levels below 10 to 30 are treated as an emergency, again doctors will vary.


At the diagnosis of cancer platelet are often usually above the population average, like with your mom.
watchful, active researcher and caregiver for stage IVb/c CC. surgeries 4/10 sigmoid etc & 5/11 para-aortic LN cluster; 8 yrs immuno-Chemo for mCRC; now no chemo
most of 2010 Life Extension recommendations and possibilities + more, some (much) higher, peaking ~2011-12, taper chemo to almost nothing mid 2018, IV C-->2021. Now supplements

heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Re: Question about platelets

Postby heiders33 » Tue Dec 18, 2018 4:56 pm

Sounds like oncs differ - my platelets went down to 70 on chemo and my onc said he would delay if they stayed down, but I got them back up in time.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: Question about platelets

Postby Jannine » Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:46 am

My platelet levels vacillated quite a bit, and when they got down to 95 I got a 25% across-the-board cut in chemo (around infusion #9) to avoid them dropping any further. My oncologist said that she felt it was better to keep me on schedule than to leave the chemo as-is and risk a delay due to low platelets. I think she would have delayed if my platelets had gotten below 85; I heard another nurse mention that number to another patient with low platelets in the infusion clinic. After the cut to chemo my platelet count went back up, then came back down a bit, then went up a lot. So the numbers you cited still seem pretty high to me.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Question about platelets

Postby Punky44 » Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:48 pm

Thank you all for the info!
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.


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