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For most people, fevers are nothing to worry about. But if you have cancer, a fever can be life-threatening.

Infection is the most common cause of a fever, especially if you’re living with cancer. A fever could also be a sign that you’re sick with a virus like the common cold, the flu, or COVID-19.

If you’re going through cancer treatment, you should do everything you can to avoid getting a fever. Even a mild fever can cause an emergency that requires treatment right away.

Learn the signs of a fever so you can catch it before it causes harm.

What You Should Know About Fever in Cancer Patients

Many people fight cancer with chemotherapy, which uses drugs to track down rapidly dividing blood cells to target and kill cancer cells. This process stops cancer cells from multiplying.

But chemotherapy can also affect your healthy cells, including reducing the number of white blood cells you have to fight infection.

When you get a fever, your body goes into overdrive to fight the infection. White blood cells are at the front and center of that fight. They’re vital to stopping infection and helping you heal.

So, if you’re treating cancer with chemotherapy, you may not have enough white blood cells to stop a new infection. This can cause a neutropenic fever.

A neutropenic fever often has the same symptoms as a typical fever. The difference is that, because of your low white blood cell count, you may not be able to fight it off.

If you develop a fever during chemotherapy, contact your doctor right away.

How to Spot Fever Infection Signs

The main sign of a fever is a high temperature. Although your body temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the day and with physical activity, these changes should be minimal. If you notice an extreme change in temperature, you may have a fever.

Other common fever symptoms include:

• Body aches and pains.
• Chills and shivering.
• Fatigue.
• Headache.
• Loss of appetite.
• Sweating.

If you have cancer and come down with a fever, you should take steps to stop an infection from spreading.

Infection Prevention for Cancer Patients

Managing fever in cancer treatment is key to ensuring your health and safety.

If you’re going through, or are about to start, cancer treatment, ask your doctor when your white blood cell count will be the lowest. This is when you’ll have the greatest risk for infection, so you can plan to take extra precautions to avoid getting a fever, such as:

• Avoiding crowded spaces — If you must be in a crowded place, where people may be ill, try to maintain space between you and others. You can also wear a mask to protect yourself.
• Cleaning your space — Keeping a clean house reduces your risk of infection.
• Eating a balanced diet — Swap sugary, processed snacks for whole foods. Keep your plate full of different kinds of greens, grains, and proteins.
• Getting enough rest — Sleep is crucial to maintaining your health. Kickstart a steady bedtime routine and avoid using screens right before you go to sleep.
• Keeping a thermometer at home — Learn how to use a thermometer so you can take your temperature outside of the doctor’s office. You can purchase a thermometer from your local drug store.
• Washing your hands often — Good hygiene is one of the most important steps to staying healthy. Wash your hands throughout the day to help fend off germs.

Your friends and family members should follow these same guidelines to prevent fevers. If you have caregivers who visit often, share these tips to help them stay healthy.

What Do You Do if You Get a Fever During Cancer Treatment?

Even if you take all the steps to prevent them, infections are highly contagious — making fevers hard to avoid.

If you have cancer and develop a fever, make sure to act quickly. Stopping the fever as fast as possible is critical. Call your doctor right away.

If you’re not sure if your temperature is high enough to concern your doctor, err on the side of caution. As a rule, people with cancer have a fever if their temperature is 100.4 F (38.0 C) or higher.

Depending on your temperature and symptoms, your doctor may advise you to go to the emergency department (ED). When you check in, share that you have cancer. This will help hospital staff understand that you may need to be seen quickly.

As part of your treatment, the ED doctor will want to make sure you’re free of infection. They may perform blood tests, x-rays, and scans to check for infection or find its source.

If your doctor doesn’t find the source, they may keep you in the hospital until your temperature goes down. Closely monitoring your symptoms will help figure out what’s causing your fever.

Even if your doctor doesn’t find an infection, they may still put you on an antibiotic to keep you safe while they examine you. If an infection isn’t the source of your fever, they’ll take you off the antibiotic.

Managing a fever during cancer treatment

Fevers can be uncomfortable, but taking the right steps to manage them can help them go away faster. To break your fever after calling your doctor or visiting the emergency department:

• Apply a cold compress — Put a washcloth soaked with cold water on your head to help bring your fever down.
• Avoid over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers — Unless your doctor tells you to take OTC pain relief medication, avoid it. Drugs like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin can bring new complications if you have cancer.
• Drink a lot of water — When you have a fever, you may start to lose body fluids faster. Staying hydrated will help you avoid dehydration. Water is the best choice when you have a fever, but you can also try certain teas or broths.
• Rest — Avoid intense physical activity, which can strain your body. Instead, focus on staying home and resting all day and night.
• Take your temperature regularly — It’s important to monitor your fever. Check your temperature every two to three hours.

If your fever still doesn’t break, don’t be afraid to call your doctor again or go back to the emergency department. Keeping you fever-free is vital to your cancer treatment.

Remember, your cancer team is your best resource. They’ll always guide you on the best path forward.