Connect
← Return to Is anaemia a common side effect of treatment?
Discussion
Is anaemia a common side effect of treatment?
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Jul 30, 2025 | Replies (6)Comment receiving replies
Hello @mazcat. Some chemotherapies more than others are responsible for anemia and it can take a long time to stimulate bone marrow into producing enough red blood cells again. Your doctor can often tell by the CBC (Complete Blood Count) if you are anemic from lack of production of RBCs or a constant overuse of RBCs such as the chronic low grade bleeding of colon cancer and others. If doctors can rule out the common causes then it points toward the more likely diagnosis, which may be that the bone marrow is still in recovery from all the radiation/chemo insults. I have been borderline anemic pretty much throughout my cancer journey since first surgery 13 years ago. It is probably more common than we think.
Replies to "Hello @mazcat. Some chemotherapies more than others are responsible for anemia and it can take a..."
Hi Sue,
Interesting info, I have had low RBCs too since 2008 where I had 35 rounds (7weeks) of Photon radiation for a total of 70Gy and 3 rounds of cisplatin chemo for tonsil cancer but no surgery for that one. I did have about five times where I was in the normal range near the very bottom in the fifteen times I have been tested since 2008.
I also, have been diagnosis with ulcerative colitis in 2017 but it has been in complete remission and had two colonoscopies one being this last February 2025 and both came back total clean.
Connect
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I had cisplantin chemo. What you are saying makes sense. I was low in iron over Christmas too so maybe I'm having a similar recovery to you