Managing a Low White Blood Cell Count

Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles, with periods of rest that give your body time to regain strength and replace healthy cells lost during treatment. However, neutropenia, a low number of certain white blood cells, is a common chemotherapy side effect of certain types of chemotherapy that can disrupt your chemo schedule.

A low white blood cell count means your immune system isn't as strong as it could be and that you are at increased risk for infection. The fewer white blood cells you have and the longer you remain without enough, the more at risk you become for developing a potentially life-threatening infection.

As a result, your doctor may need to delay cancer treatment or reduce your chemotherapy dose until your low white blood cell count increases and the possibility of infection is reduced. If you are neutropenic and you develop a fever or get an infection, you may need to be hospitalized until your infection is cured and your number of white blood cells returns to levels high enough to fight infections in the future. The good news is your doctor can help lower your risk of infection.

Your doctor has carefully determined your chemotherapy dose and schedule to produce the best opportunity for a successful outcome. In certain tumor types, maintaining dose and schedule can improve your outcomes. Studies show that for certain types of cancer, chemotherapy produces the best results when patients receive the full dose on schedule.^2,4-7 To understand more about chemotherapy cycles and schedules click here.

To understand whether you may have an infection, click here.