• Question: What % of white blood cells change when you have cancer?

    Asked by Diegoperezsanz to Ben, Lizzie, Francis, Max, Sian on 12 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Max Jamilly

      Max Jamilly answered on 12 Mar 2018:

      Interesting question! I’m not sure whether we know the exact answer to this. In cancers like lung or liver cancer, many of your white blood cells will become activated and try to fight the cancer. Some cancers affect the white blood cells themselves, and then all of the white cells could be damaged.

    • Photo: Ben Mulhearn

      Ben Mulhearn answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      Yes it is an interesting one. I had to think about it. If the cancer is small, it may only be having a local effect and therefore not change the immune cells. But once it spreads and gets really large, it can release inflammation chemicals (cytokines) which can really alter the immune system.

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