WBC, Neutrophils while on Tagrisso

[LilyMir]

Hi Tagrisso team,

I have noticed my WBC and Neutrophils getting lower recently while on Tag, still normal but very close to borderline of low. This was not the case the first few months on Tag so I was wondering if Tagrisso lowering immunity issues may crop up later and not immediately after starting it, or gradually. I am recovering from what appeared to be a nasty cold (negative covid rapid tests) and it is taking a while, closing in on a week. My kid seems to have brought a bug home from school. He thankfully recovered fast and my husband spared so I am wondering if my getting sick for this long is a sign of immunity problems. Any insights are appreciated! 

[Karen_L]

When I’ve asked her, my oncologist  says low neutrophils seem to come with the territory of lung cancer. <shrug>

I can’t remember if you had chemo; my pulmonologist says chemo messes up the immune system in mysterious and unpredictable ways. Yay?

[LilyMir]

Thanks. I did adjuvant chemo last year (Summer months). Numbers were still OK for the most part after they replaced Cisplatin. They rebounded quite well after chemo and did not drop as I started Tag in Sep last year. The numbers seem to have been dropping this year, slowly, but can't say for sure until I watch them for a few more moths but so far seem dropping. 

[BridgetO]

You could consider getting a PCR covid test. My wife tested negative on 2 home tests but was still having symptoms a week later, so went to the doctor and tested positive on PCR. Immediatly after getting her results, she took another home test and again tested negative. I've read that the home tests can be fairly unreliable on negative results.

[LilyMir]

Thanks, curious if she swabbed inside cheeks, throat and nose on the swabs?

[BridgetO]

LilyMir,  she swabbed her nose according to the package directions.

[LilyMir]

Yep the directions say so but a whole lot of people on the ground reported that one gets much more sensitivity swabbing mouth first then nose. Some research confirmed that so something to consider maybe: https://globalnews.ca/video/8530698/nova-scotia-research-shows-throat-and-nasal-swab-produce-more-accurate-rapid-test-results 

[Karen_L]

Lily, I was just reading that one of the effects of Tag is that red cell and neutrophil counts drop. I spent a little time looking this up because my most recent blood test got flagged for low red cells. No wonder one of the side effects of Tag can be fatigue. Oh well....