Haematological Changes in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy at the National Hospital Abuja, North Central Nigeria

This study evaluates haematological changes in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at the National Hospital Abuja (NHA), Federal Capital Territory, North Central Nigeria. Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression is one of the most significant haematological complications of cancer treatment, manifesting as anaemia, leucopenia, and thrombocytopenia, and contributes substantially to treatment-related morbidity. A prospective longitudinal study recruited 100 cancer patients commencing first-line chemotherapy regimens. Full blood count parameters were assessed at baseline and at the end of each of three chemotherapy cycles. Haematological toxicity was graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Findings showed progressive decline in all blood lineages across chemotherapy cycles. By the third cycle, anaemia was present in 78 percent, neutropenia in 55 percent, and thrombocytopenia in 39 percent of patients. Cervical and breast cancer patients on platinum-based regimens showed the most severe pancytopenia. Neutrophil nadir occurred between days 10 and 14 of each cycle in most patients. The study highlights the critical need for haematological monitoring at nadir points during chemotherapy and recommends a structured chemotherapy haematology monitoring protocol, prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in high-risk patients, and dose modification guidelines based on CTCAE grading at National Hospital Abuja. Keywords: chemotherapy, myelosuppression, neutropenia, haematological toxicity, National Hospital Abuja.