Neutropenia is a low level (i.e., low count) of neutrophils, a certain types of white blood cell (WBC). Some types of chemotherapy can cause the side effect of neutropenia.
As neutrophils normally help fight infections, a low level of neutrophils in the blood as a side effect of chemotherapy can result in infections in the body. Infections in patients with neutropenia are harder to overcome than infections in people with normal levels of neutrophils.
Furthermore, in some cases, oncologists may interrupt chemotherapy treatment or reduce the dose of chemotherapy in patients with neutropenia.
Diagnosis of neutropenia includes taking a small sample of blood and performing a complete blood count (CBC), a laboratory test in which the numbers of different types of cells in the blood are measured. As a part of the CBC, the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) measures the percentage of neutrophils within the total number of white blood cells present.
For information on treatment of neutropenia, see our Q&A, "Is there anything that can be done to prevent and treat the neutropenia and prevent the infections that I am experiencing due to chemotherapy?"
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