What is neutropenia, and why does everyone worry about it?

It means your white cells, the ones that fight infection, have dropped. It usually happens seven to fourteen days after a chemotherapy dose, and it usually recovers on its own.

While it is low, ordinary germs become a bigger deal. That is why we say to call about fever, and why we sometimes delay a dose to let your counts come back.

Written by two physicians. Checked against patient information from the US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.