Prednisone to stimulate blood platelets before chemo lymphoma
My father was diagnosed with high quality malignant B cell lymphoma. They did test after test, and they're saying he has a massive tumor in his stomach, about 56 cm. He had to start chemo this week, but the doctor called at the last minute saying that they can't because his platelets are too weak. While in the hospital a month ago, his platelets were at 77 000, and now they are at 55 000. The doctor is starting him on prednisone. How can this increase its platelets?
First, it's important to know why his platelets are weak. One possibility is that lymphoma has invaded its bone marrow. Another possibility is that it has a condition often associated with PTI (immune thrombocytopenic purpura) lymphoma. With ITP, the body's immune system destroys wrong platelets.
Corticosteroids like prednisone can help raise the number of platelets in the blood by suppressing the immune system, which is why they are used to treat PTI. Recent studies have shown that some patients with PTI and an infection called H. pylori (related to ulcers and a slow-growing type of lymphoma involving the stomach) can respond to the treatment of infection with antibiotics.
If the involvement of bone marrow is low levels of platelets causing, prednisone can help a little (as is one of the components of chemotherapy), but association chemotherapy is likely to be more useful.
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