What is a Complete Blood Count (CBC)?
The CBC is a very common test. Many patients will have baseline CBC tests as a broad screening test to check for such disorders as anemia, infection, and many other diseases. Many conditions result in increases or decreases in the cell populations. Some diseases such as cancer (and chemotherapy treatment) can affect bone marrow production of cells, increasing the production of one cell at the expense of others or decreasing overall cell production. If they are healthy and they have cell populations that are within normal limits, then they may not require another CBC until their health status changes or until their doctor feels that it is necessary.
