What happens when platelets are too low for chemo, and...?

Have written you before. My DIL Dx OVCA Stage IV 5/14/09. Three surgeries later having removed all female organs, oomentum, having mass removed from diaphragm, pleurectomy, malignant lymph node. She's had carbo/taxol prior to and thru all that. Now changed to two week regimen - carbo/gemzar, then gemzar alone, then c/g, then g,.... She has had to miss several infusions because platelets were too low. Original schedule was chemo through May. Question: Will having missed those infusions prolong chemo out through further months? As always, thank you so much for your time.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There
I agree with Sue's comforting response.
Low platelet counts have to delay chemotherapy. we do not have a way to boost the platelets unlike blood transfusions and iron therapy for the red cells and neupogen or neulasta for white counts.

The only time we do platelet transfusions is if there is active bleeding in the setting of a low platelet count or the count is below 10 thousand and we worry about spontaneous bleeding.
But transfused platelets do not last long and it is common to develop antibodies and get a transfusion reaction ( fever, rash)

Usually with and amount of chemo that your daughter in law is getting, a delay of a few weeks will not give the cancer a chance to grow back
Please let us know how things are going
best wishes

[Sue838383]

Hi Katie,
My second cycle of chemo was this carboplatin & gemcitabine, followed by gemcitabine for the second week. I had one weeks break between. It sounds as though you are not having a break - wow thats hard.
I found I got anaemic by the 3rd round and had some low platelets once or twice, I cant remember too much detail. This gave my body time to recover a bit and the break was welcomed as it gave me a week of feeling more normal instead of 24 hours reprieve. The break didn't make my numbers worse. Try not to worry, the Dr's still usually complete the full treatments it just takes a bit longer.

[Katie116]

DIL will have two more rounds of  carbo/gemzar w/increased dosages. Then, it's a CT scan, then wait and watch. She's in clinical remission.

[Katie116]

Last chemo is scheduled for Monday, May 3. We are anxious and thrilled that it will end but fearful to put down the weapons in the fight. We continue to hope and pray that the scans will show everything they are supposed to show and nothing we don't want to see. Thanks for your kind and informative answers.