People often “talk about chemotherapy”, but in addition to severe nausea, vomiting, or hand-foot syndrome that can affect the course of chemotherapy, one of the most common adverse effects is a decrease in white blood cells or neutrophils.
Why does chemotherapy hurt white blood cells?
The mechanism of action of chemotherapy drugs is to destroy cells with high proliferative properties, simply put, but any cell with high proliferative properties may be killed by chemotherapy drugs. In addition to cancer cells, white blood cells also have high proliferative properties, which dictate that it can be mistakenly killed.
In fact, hair loss, nail changes, and damage to soft tissue mucosa are also due to the high proliferative properties of these cells, which are susceptible to accidental injury by chemotherapy drugs. However, these injuries usually do not have serious life-threatening effects.
Why is a low number of white blood cells life-threatening?
Eliminating cancer cells is actually a “civil war” in the body, and in that “civil war” you kill a thousand enemies (cancer cells) and damage 800 of your own soldiers (white blood cells). The problem is that the chemotherapy drugs kill the living force on the one hand, and affect the subsequent supply on the other, not only killing the white blood cells, but also affecting our bone marrow’s ability to produce white blood cells, which is medically known as “bone marrow suppression.
Once white blood cells, the body’s key defense against infection, are reduced to a certain level, infections often develop rapidly and are sometimes difficult to control, and in severe cases can be life-threatening.
Therefore, it is important not to be lazy about the requirement for laboratory blood tests during chemotherapy. This regular monitoring is to detect blood abnormalities and monitor bone marrow hematopoietic function in time for timely medical intervention.
What should I do if my white blood cells are reduced?
The merits and demerits of leuke-raising injections
For severe leukopenia (<2.0×10/L), the current management is relatively clear: the use of "leukostimulants," which are recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factors.
Chemotherapy drugs inhibit the activity of blood cell (e.g., white blood cells, neutrophils, red blood cells, and platelets) precursors in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells, slowing their maturation. The white boosting injection works by promoting the immature neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the bone marrow to mature, differentiate, and proliferate into the peripheral blood as quickly as possible to increase the number of white blood cells, in addition to activating the function of mature neutrophils and extending their lifespan.
In fact, this colony-stimulating factor is also produced in the body’s natural state to promote the slow maturation of leukocytes. It is only during chemotherapy that the “regular army” is killed and the normal replenishment rate is disrupted, and the “reserves” are sent through the whitening injections.
However, there are those who question the effectiveness of the white needle in treating the symptoms but not the root cause. The company’s main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers. What are the side effects of long-term bone marrow stimulation?
It’s true that a small number of people who use the whitening injections show intolerance, sore bones and joints, and fever.
But in fact, white blood cells themselves are “short-lived” and normally take an average of 7 to 14 days for one generation, meaning that even without chemotherapy, they will apoptically die after 1 to 2 weeks and a new generation will be produced. The new generation will be produced again. Therefore, the white blood cells will not be depleted by the white blood injection.
White ascending should focus on nutritional intake
So, what is the alternative to using a white boosting shot to solve the problem of not having enough white blood cells? The answer is – food! White blood cells can be produced in the bone marrow through diet, especially protein intake.
“How you eat” is more important than “what you eat”. The most important thing to remember is that you should not try to find a miracle food, because the nutrition of a single food is limited, and a variety of foods is necessary to ensure a balanced and comprehensive nutritional intake. Avoid a purely vegetarian diet during chemotherapy.
Here are a few tips on what to eat during chemotherapy.
- Eat well. It is advisable to eat lightly during chemotherapy, but light does not mean you have to eat lightly. If your gastrointestinal tract is uncomfortable and your appetite is poor during chemotherapy, food can be soft and soup-based, but it can still taste fresh and tasty. Some chemotherapy drugs may affect the sense of taste, so you can choose something that stimulates the appetite, but avoid raw, cold, spicy and irritating foods.
- Eat well! The “good” here refers to a well-matched nutritional structure and rich variety. The most important thing is to have a good diet. During chemotherapy, the proportion of high-quality protein in the diet should be increased appropriately, and the total amount of protein intake is also critical. Soup can be consumed, but meat in soup is more valuable in terms of raw material for producing white blood cells. Make sure you get 6 to 8 different kinds of vegetables and fruits every day, the more varied the food, the more comprehensive the nutrition.
- Eat well! Comfortable here doesn’t just mean comfortable in your mouth, it means comfortable in your body and comfortable in your stomach. It is not recommended to eat mixed grains during chemotherapy because they are relatively difficult to digest and are a burden to the already weak gastrointestinal tract during chemotherapy.
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Fruit should also be consumed in moderation. Excessive fruit intake can lead to excess sugar intake and weight gain. If you gain more than 10 pounds during chemotherapy, it is best to moderate your diet. Excessive weight gain and obesity are very detrimental to breast cancer outcomes.
Of course, don’t expect too much from “eating” and don’t count on it. The logic of the “white defense” is that diet is the foundation and white shots are important.
Watch out for the “white killer” vomiting and diarrhea
During chemotherapy, vomiting and diarrhea are two key prevention and control points, one of which is often followed by a decrease in white blood cells.
Vomiting
First, it is important to note that not all chemotherapy is associated with vomiting.
In recent years, there have been significant developments in antiemetic agents for chemotherapy agents, such as neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonists [Aprepitant], 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 3 receptor antagonists (various “seston”), corticosteroids [e.g., dexamethasone ( Dexamethasone], etc. In combination with these drugs, most of the patients can have better antiemetic effect. Of course, all of these medications need to be prescribed by a physician, and the effects may vary from drug to drug.
Of course, even with antiemetics, they may not completely eliminate the nausea. Relaxing, listening to soothing music, watching a favorite show, containing some lozenges with a fresh aroma (such as mint, lemon, or orange flavors), or eating a few infused tender ginger slices may also relieve nausea.
As a reminder, the vomiting that accompanies chemotherapy usually resolves gradually over 3 to 5 days after chemotherapy ends, and if it persists for more than 1 week, you need to seek medical help.
Diarrhea
Chemotherapy diarrhea usually develops after chemotherapy drugs cause nerve paralysis in the gut and is not a bacterial infection in the usual sense, so it is completely different in terms of medication use.
It is important to pay attention when there is painless or mildly painful diarrhea with shooting watery stools, and it is important to seek medical attention if you have more than 5 times a day. Your doctor may recommend an intestinal motility inhibitor such as loperamide, and decide if other medications or treatments are needed in conjunction with the actual diarrhea.
In summary, white blood cells are small but important. When the white blood cells are lowered during chemotherapy, it should not be ignored, but there is no need to worry too much about worrying. It is possible to defend the white blood cells by listening to your doctor, reviewing your blood routines regularly, eating right, and intervening actively in your treatment. (Based on its happy article)