Chemotherapy can cause low platelets
In people with cancer, the chemotherapy they may be treated with may often cause low platelets, or thrombocytopenia. Platelet levels will usually return to normal once the chemotherapy is discontinued.
The risks of low platelets and bleeding
People who receive chemotherapy may develop low platelets. People
with low platelets are at risk for abnormal bleeding. You can have low platelets
and not bleed. However, in general, the lower your platelet count is, the greater
the risk of bleeding.
Bleeding may be connected to poor outcomes
Cancer patients who bleed due to low platelets may have poor
results. The cost of treatment also may be
higher.
Drug treatment may prevent low platelets in some patients
If you have a nonmyeloid cancer, such as lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, or multiple myeloma, and are
at high risk for severe low platelets, your doctor may give you a drug known as
interleukin-11 to increase your platelet count and reduce the need for platelet transfusions. However,
in most cases, low platelets cannot be prevented.
Practical tips to prevent bleeding
If you receive chemotherapy and develop low platelets, there are
things that you can do to reduce the risk of bleeding. Things to change include:
