After chemotherapy, ESR increased to 30 why?

ESR in oncology

As you know, cancer is a dangerous pathology that often leads to death. People attribute the loss of appetite and weakness that most often accompany a cancer patient to fatigue and do not consult a doctor. Suspicion of cancer can be detected by chance when a person takes a general blood test and the ESR may be significantly higher than normal numbers. In this case, the specialist refers the patient for additional examination to refute or confirm the presence of cancer in the body.

Differential diagnosis

Similar changes in the general blood test for brain cancer occur in the following pathologies:

• acute inflammatory process - pneumonia, pleurisy, meningitis, peritonitis, hepatitis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, fungal infection and others;
• autoimmune pathology – rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic lesions;
• damage by pesticides and radiation;
• worm infestation;
• myocardial infarction;
• the influence of certain medications.

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Important! ESR alone cannot indicate the presence of cancer. To establish an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to carry out a number of diagnostic procedures.

It should be noted that experts do not believe that just by changing the ESR indicator, we can talk about the presence of malignant tumors. There are many cases where, even in the later stages of cancer, the erythrocyte sedimentation level was normal. In addition, the rate of this analysis depends on several factors:

• Depending on the person’s age and gender;
• From the presence of chronic diseases;
• If there is a hormonal imbalance, changes in indicators are possible;
• During pregnancy, as well as depending on the day of the menstrual cycle in women, the level of analysis may also change;

Usually, with such cancers as leukemia (blood cancer), malignant neoplasms in the lymph nodes, and the presence of metastases, the value increases to critical levels.

Scientists have proven that erythrocyte sedimentation is affected by changes in the composition of the blood. When cancer cells rapidly multiply in the body, the amount of nonspecific protein in the blood increases, which is secreted by these harmful cells. And during inflammatory processes, the amount of acute-phase proteins increases. Due to the fact that the concentration of all kinds of proteins in the blood increases, erythrocyte sedimentation accelerates, which is detected when donating blood.

Most often, an excess of the ESR level is observed in cancer of the breast, uterus, intestines, and stomach. But, it should be noted that there are cases when, when cancer cells spread, the morphological structure of leukocytes changes, their number increases, the so-called leukocyte formula changes, which leads to a decrease in the indicator. Therefore, it is believed that ESR is not a reliable indicator of the presence of cancer in the body.

Although ESR is not a direct indicator of cancer, its significant changes become a compelling argument for referring the patient to undergo a number of complex diagnostic measures.

Consequences and dangers

Any change in the composition of the blood requires additional research. The correct diagnosis depends on how much the erythrocyte sedimentation rate changes.

If diagnosis is incorrect or absent, the risk of developing cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases increases. Very often, patients turn to specialists for help when they have various symptoms of disease.

During the research, chronic diseases are diagnosed and malignant neoplasms are found.

Norm

ESR in a blood test is not a constant indicator. Its level depends on several factors. Even the time of day matters. So, during the day the value is higher than in the evening. During pregnancy, ESR is always higher than normal, especially in the second trimester. If the woman’s health is satisfactory, then this fact does not bother the doctors. Approximately three weeks after birth, these indicators should be normal.

Norms also depend on age and gender.

As can be seen from the table, the values ​​​​for men and women differ. Experts explain this phenomenon by the fact that in women, due to physiological characteristics, the number of red blood cells is lower, and therefore their sedimentation rate is faster.

Indicators for oncology

As mentioned earlier, it is impossible to judge the presence of cancer in the body only by changing the value. But, if the following changes in the clinical composition of the blood are observed in the tests, the doctor may suspect the presence of cancer in the body:

1. If the value rises to 60-70 mm/h or more;
2. Usually, when indicators are above normal, they talk about the presence of inflammatory processes in the body. But, if a person is really sick with cancer, then when treating inflammation, the ESR level does not decrease;
3. In blood tests, you can find that against the background of an increase in ESR, hemoglobin decreases, along with an increase in ESR, the level of hemoglobin decreases to a level of 70 g/l.

Typically, anemia, that is, a decrease in the number of red blood cells, often accompanies many cancers. This is especially true for tumors formed near blood vessels and bone marrow. Cancer intoxication is also accompanied by severe anemia.

Attention! There is no specific norm for ESR in the presence of a malignant tumor, since neoplasms manifest themselves differently and the human body is individual.

If the test results are unsatisfactory, the doctor recommends retaking them one day after the previous one. If a repeated analysis shows high ESR levels, then an extensive examination is prescribed to make an unambiguous diagnosis and determine the cause of the high values.

Important! Only a doctor can interpret the tests. Self-diagnosis, especially based on the ESR level, is unacceptable, since this indicator can indicate many pathologies.

Determining the ESR level over time is also important during cancer treatment. So, during chemotherapy, as well as after surgery to remove tumors, ESR levels should gradually return to normal. Otherwise, we can talk about a relapse or the presence of metastatic processes in the body. Once a month, when treating cancer, oncologists always check the level of ESR in the blood of patients.

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Indications for research

If there are neurological symptoms and a suspicion of a space-occupying process in the skull, then a study for brain cancer is indicated.

1. The presence of neurological symptoms: impaired coordination of movements, paresis and paralysis, facial asymmetry, speech distortion, ptosis, tetany, epileptic seizures, changes in behavior, aggressiveness, involuntary motor activity, etc.
2. Detection of tumor location.
3. Prediction of the course of cancer.
4. Choice of treatment method.
5. Control of surgical and therapeutic treatment.
6. Prognosis of life and mortality.

ESR analysis

Analysis to determine ESR is not expensive. Roughly speaking, the blood is allowed to settle for a certain time, after which the degree of red blood cell precipitation is determined. There are several ways to determine:

• The Panchenkov method is the most commonly used method for studying ESR. Blood is drawn from a finger. As you know, blood has the property of clotting. To avoid this during analysis, use the anticoagulant sodium citrate. A 5% composition of this substance is used in a ratio of 1:4 to blood. They are mixed in a special concave glass. Then the capillary tube is filled with this mixture. The analysis takes about an hour. Within an hour, the red blood cells settle, and a translucent liquid forms on top. It is the length of this liquid that is determined as the rate of sedimentation of red cells. This indicator is measured in millimeters per hour (mm/h). Also, when performing analysis, the air temperature in the room plays a role. It should vary within 200C.
• The Westergren method is the international standard for determining ESR. It has more accurate indicators compared to the Panchenkov method, since the division scale in this method is two hundred. Another difference from the previous method is that blood for analysis is taken from a vein. The anticoagulant is mixed with blood in a test tube. The ESR level is also determined after an hour.

Experts, even in the absence of any health complaints, recommend taking ESR tests at least once a year. And after 45 years - once every six months.

How to get tested

Experts recommend resorting to some restrictions before taking the test:

1. You should not eat in the morning before going to get tested. Drinking strong tea and coffee is also not recommended, as these drinks lead to vasospasm;
2. A few days before taking the test, it is better to exclude fatty foods, alcohol from the diet, refrain from smoking, and, if possible, not take medications that reduce blood clotting;
3. If there is a need to check the value over time, it is better to donate blood in the same laboratory in order to avoid errors in the analysis.

Preparation for the procedure

Despite the simplicity of the procedure, certain conditions must be met for the most reliable research result.

1. The last meal should be no later than 8 hours before blood donation.
2. Alcohol must be completely eliminated during the day.
3. You should not smoke 2-3 hours before the procedure.
4. You must first tell the doctor if the patient is taking any medications. In some cases, they will need to be excluded the day before the analysis.
5. In the morning before the test, you are allowed to drink only clean drinking water without gas.
6. 20-30 minutes before the analysis must be spent in a calm (emotional and physical) environment.

In a sterile environment, blood is collected from the 3rd or 4th fingers of the left hand or from a vein. After donating the required amount of biological material, the patient can go home and wait for the test result.

Let's sum it up

To summarize, it should be noted that you should not panic in case of high indicators, since this phenomenon can indicate both harmless processes in the body and more serious pathologies. But, you need to take into account the fact that in a healthy person, the ESR concentration should be at a certain level. Any deviation of this indicator is not normal and serves as a reason for undergoing a comprehensive examination prescribed by a doctor.

A comprehensive examination includes: tests for tumor markers, detailed blood and urine tests, modern instrumental examinations, such as MRI, CT, ultrasound. Only by examining the results of all the data can one exclude or establish the presence of cancer.