Final answer:
Neutropenia occurs during chemotherapy as the drugs target rapidly dividing cells, including healthy WBCs like neutrophils. With an ANC of 1900 cells per microliter, chemotherapy is likely to proceed, but overall health and treatment specifics are also considered.
Step-by-step explanation:
Neutropenia, a decreased number of neutrophils in the blood, commonly occurs in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells, which includes both cancer cells and healthy cells in the bone marrow where white blood cells (WBCs) like neutrophils are produced. Consequently, this can lead to a reduction in WBC counts, including neutrophils, resulting in neutropenia. Neutropenia significantly increases the risk of infections.
An absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is a critical indicator used in assessing whether a patient should proceed with a chemotherapy treatment. An ANC of 1900 cells per microliter is within the lower range of normal (1500-8000 cells per microliter), suggesting that the patient's healthcare team might likely choose to continue with chemotherapy, as the risk of infection is not dramatically increased at this level. However, healthcare providers will consider other factors, such as the patient's overall health and the specific chemotherapy regimen when making this decision.