The fight against cancer can be won, but it can also be difficult. One of the difficulties can be chemotherapy-related anemia, which is related to a low red blood cell count. Chemotherapy harms all fast-growing cells, including healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin (HEE-mo-glow-bin), or Hb, a protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s muscles and organs. Oxygen is critical to the health of your tissues and organs.

Anemia can cause a variety of health problems²³. If left untreated, anemia can result in the need for red blood cell transfusions.³⁹

Treating Anemia

If you are diagnosed with anemia while receiving chemotherapy to treat certain types of cancer, there are treatment options. Some patients are given prescription medicines to treat anemia. Talk with your doctor to determine if such a medicine is right for you.

In some cases, patients might need a blood transfusion to replace red blood cells lost due to inadequate production resulting from certain diseases or treatments like chemotherapy or due to significant blood loss from trauma or surgery.⁴⁰

Transfusions take place primarily in hospitals and also in some clinics.⁴¹ If you need a transfusion, a small amount of your blood will be drawn and tested to find out your blood type (A, B, AB, or O) and Rhesus (Rh) type (positive or negative). Donated blood is similarly typed.⁴¹

Before you receive a transfusion, a crossmatch test must be done to make sure the donor blood type is compatible with your blood type.⁴¹ During the transfusion, you will be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of transfusion reactions such as fever or an allergic reaction.⁴² Each unit of blood is usually transfused over a couple of hours.⁴¹

Like any medical procedure, there are risks associated with blood transfusions.⁴² The most serious are transfusion reactions and infections. Many precautions are taken to prevent reactions from happening. Reactions vary in their severity. Some reactions may occur as soon as the transfusion is started, while others may take days or longer to develop. Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a serious transfusion reaction that causes shortness of breath.⁴² While rare, blood transfusions can transmit infectious diseases such as the hepatitis C virus and HIV.⁴² For patients with heart and lung problems, the extra fluid associated with blood transfusions may make those problems worse.⁴³ Like any medical procedure or treatment, there are risks associated with blood transfusions. Talk with your doctor to determine if such treatments are right for you.