Chemotherapy is the use of medications to fight cancer. It is called chemotherapy because the medications are made up of chemical. Another name for it is cancer drug therapy. There are many prescription drugs used. There are several categories of meds. Each of these types are fighting to malignancy with different methodologies. What ever method is utlilized, the result is in the vast majority of cases, a severe drop in the patient's white blood cell count.
The major categories of anti cancer drugs are anti neoplastic, antimetabolite, anti and even antibiotic. Whatever type the drugs are, there is one commonality. Every one of them kill cancer cells. They do so by stopping the cancer cells from dividing, multiplying. Unfortunately the chemo pinpoints normal dividing cells. Chemo destroys the genetic nature of the nucleus of the cell. The difference in the types of chemo drugs is the stage of the cell division this is done.
Chemotherapy was first coined by the biologist Paul Erlich.
Many of these meds are given intravenous or intramuscularly. They are usually through a long thin plastic tube called a pic line or catheter connected to the patient's chest.
Chemo is given either as an inpatient or an outpatient. This is determined by the needs of the patient. Whether in or outpatient the norm is to give chemotherapy periodically. That is chemo and then off chemo so the body can rest up. Once the body is rested, there's another round.
Side effects are dependent on the drugs used and dosage. There are many side effects. I will concentrate only on low white blood cell counts. There are two medical terms used. Leucocytopenia and neutropenia. The former is a general term. The latter, neutropenia technically means low neutrophil count. There are five types of white blood cells. The basophils, eosinophils, the lymphocytes, the neutrophils and the monocytes. Every one of them play a part in fighting infections.
The main danger of lowered white blood cells is a stronger susceptibility to infections. This includes infections, fungal, viral, bacterial infections. Plus the infections are much worse they normally would be. WBCs are an essential part of one's immune system. WBC white blood cell.
It is crucial to take one's temperature daily and when ever one feels one may have a fever. A therometer reading of 100 degrees or higher is considered feverish. Its of great importance not be near people with colds, flu, coughs etc. Its important if there is a cut to clean it with soap and water. Then put a band aid on it.
Symptoms of infections include temperature over 100, chills, coughs, sometimes producing sputum, phlegm. Sometimes it may include painful urination, diarrhea. What signs occur depends on the type of infection.
Patients with low wbcs may need to be a neutropenic diet. This means eating only thoroughly cooked vegetables, meats, starches, fruit with skins on them. No salads, nothing cold.
This is because heat destroy germs, bacteria.
The main reason the chemo meds damage the white blood cells is pretty much the same reason for the other adverse reactions. The medications are not that well targeted. That is they don't just target the cancer cells. They damage normal ones too. Its like a hunter shooting a rabbit and meanwhile indiscriminately killing off the squirrels who happen to be in the way. The cotton tail is shot but so are many of the squirrels.
For the record a newer form of chemotherapeutics, monoclonal antibodies go directly to the cancer cells, thereby bypassing the other cells.
Specifically the bone marrow is paralyzed. White blood cells are made in the bone marrow through hemotopoietic cells. These are basically stem cells that develop into white blood cells, red blood cells (corpuscles), platelets.
Count below 0.5 x 109/litre) is considered low WBC count.
Once the chemo is finished the wbcs start going back up to their normal levels. This is true of the red blood cells and the platelets. If the WBCs don't go up quickly enough to give a drug that is a colony stimulating factor. This simply means a medication that will stimulate white blood cell production. There are several of these meds. One of these is Filgrastim aka Neupogen.
In conclusion low white blood cell count is a common reaction to chemotherapy. However the levels usually return to normal post chemo and the results of a low white blood cell count can be successfully dealt with.
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Contributor's Note
There is a personal interest in what I wrote since my husband is being given chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia M7
Please pray for him. If you like, you are in my prayers.
Thanks.
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