Eosinophil is a kind of white blood cell that fights diseases in our body. The bone marrow produces them, and they then spread to different tissues. They help our body defend against bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections- such as worm infestations. In humans, eosinophils normally make up 0.5–1% of all white blood cells and seldom make up more than 5%. Sometimes, elevated or decreased eosinophils can be alarming and might indicate cancer. In this write-up, we will discuss what level of eosinophils indicate cancer, causes of it and diagnosis.
What level of eosinophils indicate cancer?
In some cases, elevated or decreased eosinophil levels may provide clues about certain cancers.
Eosinophils level can go both high or low and both conditions can indicate cancer.
1. Elevated Eosinophils
- Hematologic Cancers: In blood cancers like Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or leukaemia, eosinophilia is often moderate in the range of 1,500 to 5,000 eosinophils per microliter. The eosinophilia may be due to cytokines released by cancerous cells that stimulate eosinophil production.
- Solid Tumours: So, what level of eosinophils indicate cancer? Eosinophil levels are usually mildly elevated in the range of 500 to 1,500 in case of lung, gastrointestinal, or reproductive cancers. The eosinophilia may be caused by secretion of eosinophil growth factors by tumour cells.
- Eosinophilic Leukaemia: A blood malignancy known as eosinophilic leukemia is distinguished by an abundance of eosinophils in the bone marrow, blood, and other tissues. When the amount of eosinophils in a person’s blood is more than 500 mm3, this is known as eosinophilia.
2. Low Eosinophil Levels
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: In this case, cancerous white blood cells crowd out normal eosinophils in the bone marrow. If you are wondering what level of eosinophils indicate cancer, you must know that lower Eosinophil is common in acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia cases.
- Hodgkin lymphoma: In this type of cancer, eosinopenia occurs in 40-50% of cases. The decreased eosinophils may be due to cytokines secreted by Reed-Sternberg cells.
Causes of Change in Eosinophils Level
Now that you know what level of eosinophils indicate cancer, let’s have a look at the causes of it.
1. Elevated Eosinophils (Eosinophilia)
- Allergic diseases like asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis can cause eosinophils. Although moderate eosinophilia is common, allergic diseases can not be ignored.
- Parasitic infections such as trichinosis, hookworm, or ascariasis are responsible for elevated eosinophils. In this cases, eosinophils level can go very high.
- Adrenal insufficiency or hypoadrenalism is another reason for high Eosinophils. The lack of cortisol can also lead to increased eosinophil production.
- If the eosinophilia level go above 1,500 cells/mL, Eosinophilic disorders like Churg-Strauss syndrome or hypereosinophilic syndrome can be the cause of it.
- Certain medications like antibiotics, anticonvulsants, or NSAIDs can trigger eosinophilia.
2. Decreased Eosinophils (Eosinopenia)
- Eosinopenia occurs due to migration of eosinophils out of circulation to infection sites.
- Eosinophil levels can dip due to cortisol release of stress response.
- Medications like glucocorticoids, epinephrine, and some chemotherapy drugs suppress eosinophil production.
- Lower eosinophil can be seen in end-stage renal disease.
- Some nutritional deficiencies like zinc, vitamin B12, or iron impairs eosinophil development.
Diagnosis
Besides knowing what level of eosinophils indicate cancer, it is also important to know the root cause of abnormal eosinophil levels. the blood tests include:
- Bone marrow biopsy: Bone marrow biopsy examines the bone marrow directly to evaluate cancer and other conditions that could affect eosinophil production. It is very helpful for diagnoses like acute leukaemia.
- Flow cytometry: Flow cytometry analyses blood cell markers to identify specific cell types, like leukemic blast cells. It can identify lymphoma and other blood cancers.
- Cytogenetic tests: This type of tests evaluate chromosomes of cancer cells for genetic mutations. It is particularly useful for leukaemia and lymphoma subtyping.
- Serum protein electrophoresis: Abnormal immunoglobulin levels produced by myeloma cells are measured in this test. It can also detect M-protein indicating macroglobulinemia.
- Soluble IL-2 receptor: Elevated levels of IL-2 receptor indicate large cell lymphoma or adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma.
- Tryptase levels test: Tryptase level tests are done to check tissue mast cell disorders like mastocytosis which can lead to eosinophilia.
- Imaging Tests: Imaging studies like PET scans, CT scans, or ultrasounds can locate solid tumours associated with unusual eosinophil counts.
- Tissue Invasion Test: Testing for tissue invasion or metastases may include bone marrow biopsies, lymph node biopsies, and tumour biopsies.
- Stool Tests: Stool tests check for parasitic infections that could cause eosinophilia instead of cancer.
- Allergy Test: Allergy testing like skin prick or patch testing helps rule out eosinophilia due to allergy rather than tumour growth.
Conclusion
This shall clear your doubts on what level of eosinophils indicate cancer. Elevated or decreased eosinophil levels are a matter of concern and it must be interpreted within the full context of a patient’s symptoms, medical history, and other diagnostic results. Doctors suggest further treatment based on the results of other testings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What do eosinophils do in the body?
A: Eosinophils help defend against infection, regulate inflammation, and are involved in allergic responses. They activate and release proteins that help destroy invaders.
Q: What is the normal range for eosinophils?
A: The normal range is generally between 0-500 eosinophils per microliter of blood for adults and 0-450 for children.
Q: Do eosinophil levels fluctuate normally?
A: Eosinophil counts may vary slightly day to day. Significant or persistent changes likely indicate an underlying issue.
Q: How often should eosinophil levels be checked?
A: For healthy people, eosinophil counts are typically only checked as part of routine wellness exams. They may be monitored more frequently in people with known eosinophil-related conditions.
Q: When are eosinophil levels considered high?
A: Eosinophil counts above 500 cells/μL are defined as eosinophilia. Very high counts over 1,500 cells/μL may indicate a disorder.
Q: When are eosinophil levels considered low?
A: Eosinophil counts below 40-50 cells/μL are defined as eosinopenia or decreased levels.
Q: How are eosinophils measured?
A: Eosinophil counts are measured with a complete blood count (CBC) test. The CBC reports eosinophils as a percentage and absolute count.
