Adverse haematological complications of anticancer drugs. Clinical presentation, management and avoidance

Haematological complications frequently occur in patients treated with chemotherapeutic agents. The degree and duration of bone marrow suppression depends upon the type of agent used. In general, agents that are cell cycle phase-specific tend to cause early myelosuppression with rapid marrow recovery, as compared to the non-phase-specific agents. Host factors including patient age, nutritional status, marrow infiltration or damage, and hepatic and renal function also affect haemotoxicity. Chemotherapeutic agents suppress proliferating or potentially proliferating precursors of neutrophils, platelets and red blood cells to the same extent. With most drugs, neutropenia tends to be dose limiting and more severe than thrombocytopenia. Because of the longer life span of red blood cells, severe anaemia is rarely a problem. The management of myelosuppression is multifaceted, and consists of aggressive antibiotic therapy to treat or prevent the infections that occur with neutropenia, as well as red blood cell and platelet transfusion support to correct anaemia and prevent bleeding. The role of the haemopoietic growth factors including erythropoietin, colony-stimulating factors and the interleukins is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Haemolytic uraemic syndrome, haemolytic anaemia and therapy-induced myelodysplasia and/or acute leukaemia are uncommon and potentially severe complications of chemotherapeutic agents.