Blood is produced in the bone marrow of the bones in our bodies. It is essentially made up of three types of cells:

• Platelets
• Red blood cells
• White blood cells

Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy can affect the blood count and reduce its production of healthy cells; your child will have regular blood tests throughout their treatment to monitor this. You may notice signs and symptoms of a lower blood count from approximately one week from the first day of each cycle.

Platelets

These are cells that help the clotting action of the blood. If your child has a low platelet count and is symptomatic with increased bleeding or bruising they may require a platelet transfusion.

Red blood cells

These cells give us our pink, healthy colouring. They carry oxygen around the body and keep us full of energy. The red cells contain haemoglobin, commonly referred to as ‘Hb’. A low Hb count would result in your child becoming anaemic. Signs of this are increased tiredness, looking pale and breathlessness on exertion. Children who have had chemotherapy may become anaemic and may require a blood transfusion.

White blood cells

White blood cells are responsible for fighting infection. There are many types of white blood cells but the most important for fighting bacteria are neutrophils. When the neutrophil count is low the condition is termed ‘neutropenic’ and your child will be very prone to infections.

Neutropenia is a direct result of the action of chemotherapy on the bone marrow cell-producing factory. Chemotherapy kills blood cells as well as cancer cells. The cell count starts to drop after chemotherapy with the lowest white cell count being about ten days after chemotherapy. After this time the bone marrow should start to recover and produce new cells.

Receiving Blood Products

At different points in your child’s treatment the types of blood products they receive may vary. These may need to be HEV negative or Irradiated, your named consultant or keyworker will explain this further.