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Disease Etiology
Neutrophils (also known as granulocytes) are white blood cells that primarily fights infection by destroying bacteria and fungi (1). Neutropenia occurs in cancer patients due to their disease (i.e. especially blood cancers and metastatic cancers) or treatment (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation or bone marrow transplant). Because cancer patients with neutropenia have fewer white blood cells, they are more at risk for illness and death from infections that would easily be handled by a