Health and dis-ease

CLL is one type of leukemia.  It is the bad overgrowth of white blood cells.  My partner is receiving chemotherapy for this cancer and is now receiving the drug Neulasta (pegfilgastrim) after each cycle of chemo.  This is the supreme irony.  Why?  Because Neulasta encourages the growth of neutrophils, one of the types of white blood cells.

The treatment is not as insane as it first sounds.  CLL is chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  There are about seven main types of white blood cells.  In CLL, the particular sort of white blood cells going out of control is the lymphocytes.  On the other hand, the neutrophils are well-behaved and doing what they should be doing: fighting bacteria.  Therefore, if a patient is receiving chemo to knock out the lymphocytes and this medication concurrently wipes out the neutrophils, there is a problem.  A big problem.  Now, the normal bacteria living on and in people can become a threat.  Thus, the introduction of Neulasta is appropriate.

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