If you become unwell during your anticancer treatment

Information for the public

Some treatments may not be suitable for you, depending on your exact circumstances. If you have questions about specific treatments and options covered in this information, please talk to a member of your healthcare team.

If you become unwell during your anticancer treatment, you should follow your healthcare professional's advice about how and when to telephone for 24-hour specialist cancer advice or go to an emergency care unit. If you see a GP or other healthcare professional and they suspect you might have neutropenic sepsis, they should refer you immediately to hospital.

At the hospital the doctor should treat you as an emergency. They should offer you an antibiotic immediately, and give you a physical examination. They should take a sample of your blood to find out the number of neutrophils it contains (known as a neutrophil count), how well your liver and kidneys are working and whether there is an infection in your blood. For children aged under 5 years, the doctor should also take a sample of urine to check for a urinary tract infection. You may need additional tests, depending on the signs and symptoms you have.

The doctor should diagnose neutropenic sepsis if your neutrophil count is low and you have either:

a temperature higher than 38°C or
signs and symptoms of sepsis (an infection of the blood).