Chemotherapy and Neutropenia: A Critical Warning

Feeling 'a bit unwell' after chemo could be a sign of a life-threatening emergency. Chemotherapy can

wipe out your white blood cells, a condition called neutropenia, leaving you with

no army to fight infection. When you're neutropenic, your body can't create the usual

signs of infection like pus or swelling. Often, the only sign is a fever.

A cancer patient with neutropenia and a fever can become septic and die within hours.

That's why doctors don't wait for test results. They immediately start powerful IV

antibiotics, because for these patients, a fever is a race against time.