Do I need adjuvant therapy after chemotherapy? Is adjuvant therapy to improve the side effects of chemotherapy?
Patients in the interval after chemotherapy will have many side effects, and adjuvant therapy is to improve the side effects.
(i) When the white blood cell drops to a certain value, patients need leuke-raising therapy and oral blood-supplementing drugs.
(ii) Nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, patients need oral or intravenous input of antiemetic drugs, and the symptoms can be relieved in 3-5 days.
(iii) Patients with poor appetite need oral progesterone drugs to increase appetite.
(iv) Patients with constipation may be given additional laxatives.
⑤ Patients with severe reactions are given additional herbal medicines to support the vital energy to help patients pass the inter-chemotherapy period more comfortably. In addition, patients should pay attention to a light diet, drink more water and eat more coarse fiber vegetables and fruits, which can help patients with nausea, vomiting, constipation and other symptoms. Intake of more high-protein foods to enhance nutrition will also help the bone marrow hematopoietic function to recover as soon as possible.
At what level of white blood cell decline do patients need to use leukostatic drugs? What are the side effects of leukostatic drugs?
It is not the drop in white blood cells that is scary, it is the co-infection that is scary. In general.
(i) When once myelotoxic, white blood cells (3.0 to 3.9)*109/L are usually not treated.
②When the leukocytes are at (2.0~2.9)*109/L and the patient does not have fever or infection, it can be temporarily observed.
(iii) If combined with fever or infection, anti-infection and platelet-raising therapy is required.
④When the white blood cells are lower than 2.0*109/L, with or without fever, it is necessary to apply platelet-raising drugs.
It is important to note: the timing of the blood test is important. Day 5-6 after the end of chemotherapy is the beginning of the decline in white blood cells, and if the white blood cells are around 2.0*109/L at this time, they need to be treated immediately. If left untreated the white blood cells will continue to drop and may become third or fourth degree myelotoxic. 17 to 18 days after chemotherapy, white blood cells above 2.0*109/L do not need to be treated if there is no fever, because at this time the white blood cells are in the rising phase and can recover on their own.
Some patients who use the leukostasis injection for the first time report that they will have more severe symptoms of bone pain after the injection, ranging from swelling pain in mild cases to unbearable stabbing pain in severe cases. Such patients can take some antipyretic and analgesic drugs half an hour before the injection to relieve the side effects.
What is the reason for patients whose white blood cells never rise after using leuke-raising drugs?
The reasons why white blood cells never rise should be analyzed specifically.
① Some elderly people have poor bone marrow hematopoietic function, and the bone marrow hematopoietic function is even worse after multiple chemotherapy treatments, so it is difficult for the white blood cells to rise as soon as possible.
②Some patients who have received chemotherapy with hematopoietic bones, such as radiotherapy to the pelvis, may not have their white blood cells rise either.
③ long-term use of drugs with bone marrow toxicity inhibits hematopoietic function, and white blood cells do not rise easily.
④Patients with poor feeding and poor absorption of nutrients will not have a rapid rise in white blood cells. Therefore, the analysis should be individualized according to the patient’s condition.
Will the long-term failure of leukocyte rise affect the effect of chemotherapy?
Long-term failure to raise white blood cells will invariably prolong the chemotherapy cycle and the interval between chemotherapy treatments. A few days longer between chemotherapy sessions has no effect; missing two to three weeks may affect the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment. Once this happens, you need to see a specialist for advice.