Chemotherapy detonates infection risk

• April 16, 2024

One of the most indicated treatments for some hematological diseases and cancer, such as breast, non-Hogdking lymphoma and leukemia, is chemotherapy; however, in many cases it can be aggressive and have serious consequences.

In this regard, the doctor specialized in hematological diseases, Eduardo Terreros Muñoz , explains in an interview with GetQoralHealth that one of the most serious consequences of chemotherapy are the infections , originated by the absence of white blood cells, as well as indicates what are the necessary care after this treatment:

In this sense, because chemotherapy does not distinguish between cancer cells from healthy cells, it is presented (as a symptom that the therapy is functional) neutropenia , which is a dramatic decrease in the levels of neutrophils , a kind of white blood cells .

The worst consequence of the neutropenia , according to the hematologist, is that patients have to delay their cycles of chemotherapy due to frequent or serious complications in the immune system , precisely because of the lack of defenses .

Currently there are drugs that strengthen this system, such as Pegfilgrastim, which is a stimulant factor of colonies of granulocytes more effective and, until now, it is the only one that can be applied only once at the beginning of each cycle of chemotherapy.

"This drug increases the possibility of maintaining the proposed dose and with a better quality of life for the patient," says hematologist Eduardo Terreros, which is more likely to lead to better compliance with chemotherapy without relapses caused by infections .