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Question: Why don’t I get anemia right after my chemotherapy?

Answer: The red blood cells in the body live for about 120 days, or 3 months. Chemotherapy doesn’t hurt the red blood cells that are already made and circulating in the blood. Chemotherapy injures the cells in the bone marrow that make the red blood cells. The chemotherapy prevents these cells from replacing the normal red blood cells when they are used up. That is why the anemia may not develop for a while after the chemotherapy starts.

(Source: University of Rochester Medical Center, 03 Aug 2025)

Source Link: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=35&contentid=FAQGeneralCancer