Chemotherapy kills cancer cells and is a vital part of treatment. But in the process it also kills some important normal cells in the body. The most important of these are cells in your bone marrow which produce blood cells.
White blood cells or leucocytes are important for fighting infections in the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy can kill these cells and increase the chances of getting an infection.
Chemotherapy also kills platelet cells in marrow which are important to prevent bleeding from different parts of the body. If platelet counts fall, there is a risk that bleeding may occur.
Before each cycle of chemotherapy it is important to make sure that the numbers of white blood cells and platelets are acceptable. If not, it is often advisable to wait for them to rise to normal before administering another cycle of chemotherapy. It may be necessary to give some medicines that help the blood counts rise. Platelet or blood transfusions may be sometimes required.
