Why is Regular Blood Monitoring Required in Cancer Treatments?

Blood tests form a vital part of cancer therapies.

They help determine the body’s response to harsh treatments.

Cancer treatments adversely affect blood profiles and organ functions.

How does cancer treatment affect the blood?

The chemotherapy medicines target rapidly dividing cells.

Stem cells in the bone marrow are the fast-dividing cells that produce blood cells.

The cancer treatments suppress bone marrow function.

The blood count can fall severely in cancers of the blood or bone marrow.

The common functions evaluated by blood tests:

Complete blood count –

• White blood cells – These are immune cells.

These cells help fight against infection.

A drop in neutrophil count may increase the risk of infection.

• Red blood cells-

A fall in RBCs leads to anemia.

It causes weakness and shortness of breath.

 Platelets-

These are the components of blood clotting.

A reduction in platelet count increases the risk of easy bruising or bleeding.

Organ functions-

Many anticancer drugs are metabolized and cleared by the liver or kidneys.

The blood profile helps determine how organs clear the toxic drug.

1. Liver function – It helps track liver enzymes in the blood.

The liver enzymes above the normal limit may indicate liver injury.

It helps monitor drug-related liver toxicity and guide treatment adjustments.

2. Kidney function –

Waste products are excreted by the kidneys.

Efficiency of the kidneys can be measured by:

• Serum creatinine levels
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) / Blood urea
• eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

Electrolyte levels-

Vomiting or diarrhea is often induced by cancer treatments.

This may cause electrolyte loss.

A severe shift in mineral levels may increase the risk of cardiac issues.

Tumor markers –

Certain cancer cells release biological chemicals in the bloodstream.

These biological chemicals can be measured.

These biomarkers may help assess tumor progression.

This may help assess the need to change the treatment.

Symptoms to report to your doctor that may occur between blood tests-

• Fever (≥ 38.0°C / 100.4°F) or chills, which may signal infection or febrile neutropenia
• Unusual bleeding
• Extreme weakness
• Severe vomiting/diarrhea
• Reduced urine output

Conclusion:

Regular blood monitoring during cancer treatments helps evaluate treatment efficacy and patient safety.

Blood tests may not be similar for all types of treatments.

Different treatments may require specific tests.

As an oncology medicine manufacturer, Aprazer Healthcare is at the forefront of providing an affordable range of anticancer drugs.

Our oncology portfolio comprises both orals and injectables.

We are an oncology drug exporter.

We supply generic anticancer drugs to hospitals and distributors worldwide.