How do leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma affect the blood count?
Leukemia Leukemia is the term used for certain diseases that affect the white blood cells or leukocytes. The different types of leukemia affect the blood count differently. Persons with acute leukemia may have a low, a normal, or a high white blood cell count. The white cell count may occasionally be many times higher than the normal average count of about 7,000 white cells per microliter of blood. In addition, the leukemic white blood cells in patients with acute leukemia do not function normally. Patients with chronic leukemia always have an increase in white blood cells. Lymphoma Patients with lymphoma often have disturbances in their blood cell counts as the lymphoma may suppress red blood cell production, or because the lymphoma has spread to the marrow and suppresses all blood cell types. The lymphoma cells may enter the blood and produce high white blood cell counts made up of lymphoma cells (abnormal lymphocytes). Myeloma Patients with myeloma usually have anemia because the my
