CANCER
Cancer and cancer treatments can reduce the number of red blood cells in the blood. This is called anaemia. Red blood cells contain a protein called haemoglobin (Hb) which carries oxygen around the body. If you do not have enough red blood cells, the body doesn’t have enough haemoglobin. This reduces the amount of oxygen the body receives, which causes tiredness and breathlessness”.
A blood transfusion can relieve the symptoms of anaemia. The patient is given blood by a drip into one of their veins. This will increase the number of red blood cells in their blood.
Some patients receive transfusions as an outpatient and some may need to stay in hospital overnight. This depends on how much blood they need to be given. Patients usually feel the benefit of the transfusion within 24 hours.
All blood products are carefully screened for possible infections.
Source: Macmillan Cancer Support
Why people with cancer might need blood transfusions
People with cancer might need blood transfusions because of the cancer itself. For instance:
- Some cancers (especially digestive system cancers) cause internal bleeding, which can lead to anaemia from too few red blood cells.
- Blood cells are made in the bone marrow, the spongy centre of certain bones. Cancers that start in the bone marrow (like leukemias) or cancers that spread there from other places may crowd out normal blood-making cells, leading to low blood counts.
- People who have had cancer for some time may develop something called anaemia of chronic disease. This anaemia is caused by certain long-term medical conditions that affect the production and lifespan of red blood cells.
- Cancer can also lower blood counts by affecting organs such as the kidneys and spleen, which help keep enough cells in the blood.
Cancer treatments may also lead to the need for blood transfusions:
- Surgery to treat cancer may lead to blood loss and a need for red blood cell or platelet transfusions.
- Most chemotherapy drugs affect cells in the bone marrow. This commonly leads to low blood cell counts, and can sometimes put a person at risk for life-threatening infections or bleeding.
- When radiation is used to treat a large area of the bones, it can affect the bone marrow and lead to low blood cell counts.
- Bone marrow transplant (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT) patients get large doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. This destroys the blood-making cells in the bone marrow. These patients often have very low blood cell counts after the procedure and need transfusions.