Blood Product Donation and Transfusion

Transfusions of blood and blood products temporarily replace parts of the blood when a person's body can't make its own or has lost them from bleeding. Here, we describe blood and its components and why they are important. We also explain how blood is donated and transfused and how this relates to people with cancer. Click on the topics below to get started.

• What are transfusions?
• Blood and its components
• Why cancer patients might need blood product transfusions
• Blood component transfusion -- what it involves
• Possible risks of blood product transfusions
• Alternatives to blood transfusion
• Blood donation
• Donation by cancer survivors
• Additional resources
• References