ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHIL COUNT (ANC) Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) is a measure of the number of neutrophil granulocytes present in the blood. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that fights against infection. A healthy person has an ANC between 2,500 and 6,000 neutrophils/mcL (2.5-6.0). Neutropenia is a low number of neutrophils in the bloodstream […]
PLATELETS Platelets, also called thrombocytes, are tiny blood cells that help your body form clots to stop bleeding. Platelets are produced in bone marrow by a process known as thrombopoiesis. Platelets are critical to blood coagulation and the formation of clots to stop bleeding. A normal platelet count is between 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per […]
HEMOGLOBIN Hemoglobin (Hgb) is a large iron-containing protein found in red blood. This protein is what makes ‘red cells’ red. Hemoglobin’s job is to pick up oxygen in the lungs, carry it in the red blood cells, and then release oxygen into the tissues that need it like the heart, muscles, and brain. Hemoglobin also […]
BONE MARROW BLASTS Blasts, also called myeloblasts, are immature blood cells that do not function properly. These young blood cells are produced by stem cells. Too many blast cells interfere with the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Healthy people have very few blasts in their bone marrow (<3%). The percentage […]
CYTOGENETICS Cytogenetics is the study of the structure and function of the chromosomes. Long strings of DNA are coiled up with proteins to form the chromosomes. A chromosome abnormality is a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA.[1] These can occur in the form of numerical abnormalities, where there is an atypical number of chromosomes, or as structural abnormalities, […]
