['The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of elevated white blood cell (WBC) count at the time of the diagnosis of cervical cancer recurrence.', 'The baseline characteristics and outcome data of 219 patients who had a diagnosis of recurrent cervical cancer between April 1996 and September 2010 were collected and reviewed. Survival after recurrence was compared between the leukocytosis group (WBC ≥9000/μL) and the nonleukocytosis group (WBC <9000/μL). A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to investigate the prognostic significance of elevated WBC count in patients with recurrent cervical cancer.', 'The patients in the leukocytosis group showed significantly shorter disease-free interval (P = 0.0005) and more frequently had multiple recurrences (P = 0.0101) than those in the nonleukocytosis group. The median survival after recurrence of the patients with elevated WBC count was 9 months, which was significantly shorter than the 21 months observed in the patients without normal WBC count (log rank; P < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses revealed that clinical stage, tumor diameter, histology, an elevated WBC count (≥9000/μL), and an elevated neutrophil count (≥6500/μL) were significant prognostic factors in survival after recurrence.'] Is elevated white blood cell count at the time of recurrence diagnosis an indicator of short survival in patients with recurrent cervical cancer?