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Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood levels of...

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood levels of infection-fighting neutrophils, a specific kind of white blood cell. The most common reason that cancer patients experience neutropenia is as a side effect of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy works by destroying cells that grow rapidly, a characteristic of cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy also affects normal cells that grow rapidly, such as blood cells in the bone marrow, cells in the hair follicles, or cells in the mouth and intestines. Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia typically occurs 3–7 days following administration of chemotherapy and continues for several days before neutrophil levels return to normal. The type and dose of chemotherapy affects how low the neutrophil count drops and how long it will take to recover. Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is important because it may: Increase a patients risk of life-threatening infection and or disrupt delivery of cancer treatment, resulting in a change to the planned dose and time. The fewer the neutrophils in the blood and the longer patientsremain without enough