Managing Side Effects screen Low Blood Counts Radiation therapy and chemotherapy drugs may affect bone marrow.
Bone marrow is where blood cells are produced.
The three major types of blood cells are red cells, white cells and platelets. When the red cell level drops below normal, patients are considered anemic. If the red cell level drops significantly, patients may feel fatigued, short of breath or weak. Patients with an extremely low red cell level may require a blood transfusion. Patients with very low platelet counts may bruise easily or may develop small blood spots under the skin, bleeding of the gums or other bleeding.