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- Blood Transfusions and Cancer Treatment
-
- Herbert A. Perkins, MD
-
- Blood is a complex living tissue . It is made up of
- three kinds of cells that are manufactured in the
- blood cell "factory"—the marrow cavity of our
- bones. All these cells are suspended in a liquid
- called plasma, and each cell plays a critical
- role in keeping us alive.
- • Red blood cells carry oxygen to our tissues.
- • White blood cells—leukocytes—help us
- fight off infections.
- • Platelets are necessary to form the blood
- clots that stop bleeding.
- Blood transfusions play a crucial role
- in cancer treatment. The disease can reduce
- the marrow's ability to produce blood cells,
- sometimes so severely that the cells have to