Radiation Therapy Board Practice Exam

Pancytopenia is the condition characterized by a reduction in the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood. This condition commonly arises as a side effect of chemotherapy due to its impact on the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, which include not only cancerous cells but also the healthy cells in the bone marrow, leading to the simultaneous decrease of multiple cellular components in the bloodstream.

Neutrophilia refers to an increase in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, and does not involve a decrease in blood components. Neutropenia specifically refers to a reduction in neutrophils but does not account for the decrease in other blood components such as red blood cells and platelets. Erythropenia pertains exclusively to a reduction in red blood cells. In contrast to these, pancytopenia encompasses a broader spectrum of reduction across multiple blood cell types, making it the correct term for this chemotherapy-related side effect.