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Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
Urgent to save my mom
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
Urgent to save my mom
by dogy, Sep 09, 2001 12:00AM
My Mother (62) took chemical treatment (Carboplatin ) on August 20 to treat Cancer. Now, she gets serious leucopenia (yesterday as low as 500 /mm3 ), after two time blood transfusion in recent two days) , because the Carboplatin (Paraplatin) restrained marrow to produce leucocyte. Could you please give us any suggestion to overcome this urgent problem ?
(1) Which kind of treatments and medicines can be used now ?
(2) Can I buy these medicines in UK ?
Thanks for your kind help !!!!!!!!
(1) Which kind of treatments and medicines can be used now ?
(2) Can I buy these medicines in UK ?
Thanks for your kind help !!!!!!!!
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-JS, Sep 10, 2001 12:00AM
Dear Dogy, Chemotherapy can cause bone marrow suppression, meaning that the red and white blood cells as well as the platelets can become temporarily depressed after each cycle of chemotherapy. This can make a person more suseptible to infection, anemia or bleeding. Carboplatin is one of the chemotherapies that can have this effect. The point of nadir (the time when the blood counts are at their lowest point) is generally between 14 and 21 days after the carboplatin has been given. The chemotherapy is usually spaced so that there is time for the blood counts to recover before another dose of chemotherapy is given. During this time a person, especially when their neutrophil or leucocyte count gets to 500 or below, needs to be watched carefully. If a fever develops they may need to be hospitalized and started on IV antibiotics until sure there is no infection or their blood counts recover to a point that their body could fight infection on its own.
With the next cycle of chemotherapy consideration is given to the use of growth factors which are medications that help to stimulate the body's production of white blood cells. These are given as injections under the skin once a day usually starting one or two days after chemotherapy and continuing through the nadir time (about 10 days). G-CSF or GM-CSF are the generic terms for these medications. I do not know the regulations for their use in the UK however, they have been approved in the US by the FDA for use in the situation of neutropenic fever related to chemotherapy.
With the next cycle of chemotherapy consideration is given to the use of growth factors which are medications that help to stimulate the body's production of white blood cells. These are given as injections under the skin once a day usually starting one or two days after chemotherapy and continuing through the nadir time (about 10 days). G-CSF or GM-CSF are the generic terms for these medications. I do not know the regulations for their use in the UK however, they have been approved in the US by the FDA for use in the situation of neutropenic fever related to chemotherapy.
