I am getting ready for my ninth immunotherapy treatment for my melanoma and have noticed that my lymphocytes keep getting lower each time and now they’re down to what is considered low level right on the edge of it and wondering if there’s any normal way through diet food consumption that I could increase my lymphocytes
Hi Barg,
Thank you for joining our online community. I hope you find this to be a helpful and supportive environment. My name is Lynsay, and I am one of the information nurses with Macmillan Cancer Support.
I hope you are coping well with your treatment thus far. You are more than welcome to contact us on the support line at any point if it would help to have a chat with us. We are here to help with clinical questions but can also offer support if you have any worries or concerns you would like to chat through.
You have asked a really good question, and I will try my best to give you as full an answer as I can. As I am sure you know, lymphocytes are a kind of white blood cell that help fight infection and destroy damaged or abnormal cells. A low level of lymphocytes can occur for a number of reasons including the effect of cancer treatment.
The link between diet and lymphocyte production appears to be quite complex. People who are malnourished can suffer from low levels for lymphocytes. This may be due to a lack of sufficient protein and nutrients to produce lymphocytes. It is not clear if people who already eat a healthy balanced diet can increase lymphocyte levels through further dietary change.
However, eating a rich, nutritious diet is beneficial in a number of ways, even if this may not directly impact your lymphocyte levels. There have been recent studies exploring whether diet can improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatment. An America study explored whether a high fibre diet was beneficial during immunotherapy treatment. Another study from Kings college showed a potential improved immunotherapy response in patients who followed the Mediterranean diet (this diet is also rich in fibre).
A comprehensive review was published this year looking at Dietary factors and their influence on immunotherapy. This review is quite scientific in the language used but is interesting as it goes through some of the research that has been done to date.
As always, we would advise against making any significant dietary changes or commencing any supplements without discussing this with your treatment team. Your consultant may also be able to give you further dietary advice in relation to the treatment you are receiving.
I hope this information helps. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with us if there is anything else we can help with
The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial, and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 0000, you can also chat to us or email us 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.
All the best,
Lynsay
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
