When the white blood cell count is low, the body may not be able to fight off infections. A burning feeling when urinating. A severe cough or sore throat. Unusual vaginal discharge or itching. Redness, swelling, or tenderness, especially around a wound, sore, pimple, or intravenous catheter site.
Platelets help the blood clot.
A low platelet count can predispose to bleeding. This can take the form of excessive bruising or bleeding from wounds, or slow bleeding into the stomach or intestine, which could appear as black stools. The chemotherapy dose will be adjusted to achieve maximum effect on the tumor cells without dangerously affecting the ability of the bone marrow to produce blood cells in sufficient quantities. The mouth, stomach, and intestines are lined with cells that divide relatively rapidly. Anticancer drugs can affect these organs, leading to mouth sores and diarrhea.