Blood transfusions are a common supportive treatment in cancer care. They involve transferring whole blood or specific blood components from a donor into a patient’s bloodstream. This medical procedure helps manage symptoms and side effects arising from the cancer itself or its treatments.
Hematologic Malignancies and Blood Needs
Cancers that begin in the blood-forming tissues, such as the bone marrow and lymphatic system, often directly impair the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. These are known as hematologic malignancies. Patients with these cancers frequently require blood transfusions to replenish their blood cell counts.
Leukemias involve an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow. These cancerous cells can crowd out healthy red blood cells and platelets, leading to low counts of these essential blood components. Lymphomas, when affecting the bone marrow, can disrupt normal blood cell production. Multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow, also commonly results in anemia (low red blood cells) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) due to the proliferation of abnormal cells. Patients with these conditions often need transfusions to address fatigue and weakness from anemia and to mitigate bleeding risks associated with low platelet counts.
Solid Tumors and Transfusion Requirements
Solid tumors, which are cancers that form masses and do not originate in the blood, can also lead to a need for blood transfusions through several mechanisms. One way is through direct blood loss, where tumors in specific locations can cause chronic or acute internal bleeding. For example, cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, such as colon or stomach cancer, can result in significant blood loss over time, leading to anemia. Bladder cancer and lung cancer can also cause bleeding complications that necessitate transfusions.
Another mechanism involves the spread of solid tumors to the bone marrow, known as metastasis. Cancers originating in areas like the breast, prostate, or lung can metastasize to the bone marrow, disrupting its capacity to produce blood cells. This infiltration can lead to reduced red blood cell and platelet counts, similar to the effects seen in hematologic malignancies. The presence of a large tumor burden or chronic inflammatory state associated with cancer can contribute to anemia of chronic disease, increasing the likelihood of requiring transfusions.
Cancer Treatments and Blood Health
Cancer treatments are a common reason for needing blood transfusions. Many chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, including cancer cells and healthy cells in the bone marrow. This can temporarily suppress the bone marrow’s ability to produce red blood cells and platelets, leading to conditions like anemia and thrombocytopenia.
Radiation therapy, when directed at large areas of the body containing bone marrow, can cause suppression of blood cell production. Intensive treatments like stem cell transplants involve high-dose chemotherapy that intentionally eliminates existing bone marrow. In these cases, transfusions are a part of supportive care until newly transplanted stem cells can engraft and begin producing healthy blood cells.
Understanding Blood Transfusions in Cancer Care
Blood transfusions are a form of supportive care, helping manage symptoms and treatment side effects rather than treating the cancer itself. This support can improve a patient’s quality of life and help them continue their cancer treatment regimens.
Two main types of blood products are commonly given to cancer patients. Red blood cell transfusions alleviate anemia symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath by improving oxygen delivery. Platelet transfusions prevent or stop bleeding in patients with low platelet counts, which can result from the cancer or its treatment. These transfusions mitigate immediate health challenges posed by compromised blood counts.