Hi All,
Mike started Cabazitaxel / carboplatin in August. After 2 cycles his platelets dropped to 40 and he was not able to take his next round. After 2 weeks off his platelets are still hanging out in the 40s. Does anyone know what happens when chemo patients platelets don’t rise?
I donated platelets for years for use by cancer patients. Infusion of platelets quick and easy at hosp. Donate your own if worried about stranger blood, about an hour with one needle with new equipment.
I read that a normal platelet count for someone doing chemo is 20-50K. I would think it should go back up again after the infusion. Has his doctor talked about bone marrow infiltration? That could also be a reason why it's not coming back up.
Dad has bone marrow infiltration.
Do you happen to know his platelets count prior to starting chemo? And how are his Haemoglobin and WBC levels?
This is because if he does have bone marrow infiltration then all 3 levels would be on the lower end even prior to chemo. So with chemo they’d only be much more lower.
After 18 infusions of chemotherapy over a six month period during a trial, this is what I learned:
Chemotherapy destroys cells that rapidly dividing, including those in the bone marrow that produce platelets. A low platelet count is a common side effect of chemotherapy. When you get cut or bruised, platelets form plugs in the blood vessels to stop the bleeding. A low platelet count can lead to serious blood loss, which can damage internal organs.
The solution is to have a platelet transfusion. If your platelets do not reach a minimum threshold then chemotherapy is stopped. There are risks in this procedure.
Gourd Dancer
6 or 8 rounds of chemo
Fathers update 
