Can a Benign Hematology Phenomenon Critically Impact the Neutropenia Status and Treatment of Patients With Cancer?

Neutropenia in oncology care usually has a disease-related or therapy-related etiology. However, for a population with a benign hematology phenomenon known as benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN) or Duffy-null associated neutrophil count (DANC), neutropenia can be unexpected and lead to treatment delays. This article proposes a new algorithm that advanced practitioners (APs) can use to identify BEN/DANC.