Cancer and Low Blood Cell Counts

Low Blood Cell Counts

Last updated: 28-Oct-2008

Understanding Low Platelets

Think of platelets in the same way you'd think of cornstarch or flour when you mix it in a sauce or stew, and it's easy to see why they're so important: They're the clotting factors that make blood thicken and harden. Without them, bleeding becomes unstoppable and suddenly every minor cut or injury becomes dangerous...

Managing Treatment for Low Platelets

A common side effect of chemotherapy or radiation for cancer treatment is a drop in your parent's platelet count, also known as thrombocytopenia. And because platelets help make blood clot, having too few of them can lead to uncontrolled bleeding. (For more information on this problem, see Understanding Low Platelets...

What could be causing a low white and red blood cell count and low platelet count in a former cancer patient?

My dad has had cancer in the past, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, although it has been gone for more than 10 years now. We recently discovered that his white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelet count are low. Could this mean his cancer has returned and what may be some other causes of these symptoms...

1 Expert Answer

Understanding Low White Blood Cell Counts

White blood cells are the body's best defensive weapons in the fight against germs and disease, so when white blood cell counts drop as a result of chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or certain types of cancer, it puts the patient in a vulnerable position...

How Blood Test Results Can Affect a Chemotherapy Session

When your parent is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer, a lot hinges on the blood test results that precede each chemotherapy session. Low counts can indicate serious side effects, including fatigue, bruising, and vulnerability to infection -- and can also mean that treatment must be postponed while your parent's body heals...

Managing Treatment for Low White Blood Cell Count

When someone's white blood cell count is low, his immune system isn't as strong as usual and he's at increased risk of infection, a condition known as neutropenia. The lower his white blood cell count is -- and the longer it stays low -- the higher the risk that he'll get sick or contract some type of infection...