How Red Blood Cells are Produced
In a healthy body, when the number of red blood cells drops, then the level of oxygen in the blood drops, and this triggers the kidneys secrete a hormone called erythropoietin. Erythropoietin tells the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. Bone marrow is the fatty substance in the center of bones where blood cells are manufactured.
Cancer can disrupt the cycle
As you may have seen on the Cancer and Anemia page, cancer and cancer treatment can affect different steps in RBC production.
- Your kidneys may not be able to produce enough erythropoietin to start the process.
- The bone marrow may not be able to respond fully to the signal from the erythropoietin.
- Some types of cancer can cause bleeding which leads to a loss of red blood cells.
Read more about the Parts of the Blood, including red blood cells, in the next section.