This week's artwork was donated by Lauren , a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . Neupogen is a recombinant protein that helps regulate the number of neutrophils in the body.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that defend the body against infection.
Chemotherapy can cause the number of neutrophils to decrease. The doctor will decide how much Neupogen will be used, when treatment will begin, and how long it will last. Generally, you can expect to receive Neupogen for 7-14 days. Your doctor will want to take regular blood tests to determine the number of neutrophils and other cells in your blood. In this way, the doctor will be able to determine if Neupogen is having the desired effect of increasing the number of neutrophils in your blood.