{"entity":{"id":"thrombocytopenia","kind":"term","name":"Thrombocytopenia","aka":["thrombocytopaenia","low platelets","platelet count","platelet transfusion","bleeding risk","grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia","immune thrombocytopenia","ITP","thrombopoietin receptor agonist","platelet transfusions"],"tldr":"Too few platelets, the blood cells that form clots, caused by chemotherapy or by the cancer in the marrow. Mild cases cause bruising; severe cases (under 10-20 × 10⁹/L) risk serious bleeding and need platelet transfusions.","summary":"Common with carboplatin, gemcitabine, temozolomide, lurbinectedin, PARP inhibitors (niraparib especially), radioligand therapies and in leukaemia and myeloma; it limits dose more often than neutropenia for some regimens because no growth factor is routinely used (romiplostim and avatrombopag are being trialled). Grade 4 is <25 × 10⁹/L. It also complicates anticoagulation for cancer-associated thrombosis and procedures such as biopsies and central line placement. Cirrhosis with portal hypertension causes chronic thrombocytopenia that constrains liver cancer treatment, and immune thrombocytopenia is an immune-related adverse event of checkpoint inhibitors.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombocytopenia","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombocytopenia"}],"tags":[],"related":["cytopenias","neutropenia","anaemia","antiangiogenic-toxicities"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care"],"technologies":["transfusion-support"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Side effects"},"route":"/terms/thrombocytopenia/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"anaemia","kind":"term","name":"Anaemia","route":"/terms/anaemia/"},{"id":"antiangiogenic-toxicities","kind":"term","name":"Anti-VEGF class toxicities (hypertension, proteinuria, bleeding, perforation)","route":"/terms/antiangiogenic-toxicities/"},{"id":"cytopenias","kind":"term","name":"Cytopenias and myelosuppression","route":"/terms/cytopenias/"},{"id":"neutropenia","kind":"term","name":"Neutropenia","route":"/terms/neutropenia/"}],"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"transfusion-support","kind":"technology","name":"Transfusion support and anaemia management","route":"/technologies/transfusion-support/"}],"target":[{"id":"il11ra","kind":"target","name":"IL-11 receptor alpha","route":"/targets/il11ra/"}],"drug":[{"id":"eltrombopag","kind":"drug","name":"Eltrombopag","route":"/drugs/eltrombopag/"},{"id":"fostamatinib","kind":"drug","name":"Fostamatinib","route":"/drugs/fostamatinib/"},{"id":"romiplostim","kind":"drug","name":"Romiplostim","route":"/drugs/romiplostim/"}],"company":[{"id":"sobi","kind":"company","name":"Sobi (Swedish Orphan Biovitrum)","route":"/companies/sobi/"}]}}