The Danger of Infection A very low white blood cell count could lead to serious infections, and a very low platelet count could lead to bleeding. If the white blood count or platelet count falls lower than is safe, a rest period will allow the blood counts to recover. If you have fever, chills or any other sign of infection, like a cough or sore throat, during chemotherapy , call your doctor so therapy can be stopped until the infection has been treated effectively. Chemotherapy may suppress your immune system , making it harder for you to fight off infections. Any infection might spread and could become serious.
Minimizing Infection To lessen the chance of a serious infection developing, it is sometimes useful to administer colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) such as G-CSF or GM-CSF. This practice minimizes the time when the white blood cell count is low. These agents are also used to improve a low white blood cell count after an infection has already developed.
New aggressive chemotherapy programs may incorporate CSFs into the treatment plan. This may allow for the safer use of higher dosages of chemotherapy. It may also increase what is called dose intensity. This means that the chemotherapy schedule can be completed without any delays caused by low white blood cell counts. Improved dose intensity has improved the remission rate in a number of responsive cancers. ( See also What Happens in Biological Therapy .)
