How does chemotherapy and radiation affect the bone marrow?.What would you expect to see occur with...

How does chemotherapy and radiation affect the bone marrow?.What would you expect to see occur with following lab results:WBC, RBC, platelets?What is the patient at risk for regarding the lab results?

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Expert Solution

Chemotherapy and Radiation effect on bone marrow:

Chemotherapy is the chemical treatment to kill or halt the replication and / or spread of Cancerous cells in a patient. Radiation is the use of ionizing radiation to treat disease , especially cancer. Bone marrow is the fatty vascular tissue that fills the cavities of bones, being the place where new blood cells are produced. Chemotherapy and Radiation both affect bone marrow negatively and damage it cells.

Certain drugs used for Chemotherapy can damage the bone marrow, and its cells. As these cells are very sensitive, that rapidly produces blood cells , these chemicals can kill the bone marrow cells easily, but the cells may recover back.

Radiation also causes certain damage to bone marrow. It causes bone marrow suppression with relatively larger dose . It leads to the production of less number of functional blood cells, resulting in immuno suppression. High doses of Radiation can cause bone marrow failure and gradually death.

Lab results:

RBC: Reduced Red blood cells and less haemoglobin ( usually normal Hb is 12 to 14. ) Patients who recieve Chemo or Radiation, the normal Hb is 8 to 10 g/ dL

WBC: Normal range is 4 ,000 to 10,000 , it drops to 3000 to 4000.

Platelets: platelets' count come down drastically from 1, 50000 to 20, 000 .

Risks:

Low RBC and Hb: Risk of Anaemia : Shortness of breath , tiredness , dizziness , listlessness etc.

Low WBC: Leukocytopenia : bWhite blood cells are responsible to perform immune function. They fight infection and the drastic reduction in WBC especially neutrophils. Neutropenia also leads to recurrent infections.

Thrombocytopenia: Platelets are responsible for Coagulation. Less number of platelets leads to increased chance of bleeding. Petechiae, nose bleeding , bruises, GI bleeding, coffee ground vomit etc.

Nightingale answered 1 year ago

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