How long can a patient with late-stage leukemia survive with blood transfusions?

In general, blood transfusions cannot prolong overall survival in late-stage leukemia patients. They can only temporarily alleviate symptoms such as anemia and bleeding, potentially maintaining the patient's condition for 3 to 6 months, depending on the type of leukemia, the patient's baseline health status, and the severity of complications. The detailed analysis is as follows:

At the advanced stage of leukemia, bone marrow hematopoietic function is severely compromised, often leading to severe anemia and extremely low platelet counts. Blood transfusion serves as symptomatic supportive care—red blood cell transfusions can relieve hypoxia-related symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath, while platelet transfusions help reduce the risk of life-threatening hemorrhages such as intracranial or gastrointestinal bleeding. However, transfusions cannot eliminate leukemia cells or reverse bone marrow failure. In patients with end-stage acute leukemia, disease progression is extremely rapid. Even with regular transfusions, if severe infections or multi-organ failure occur, survival is typically limited to about 3 months. In contrast, patients with late-stage chronic leukemia that has undergone acute transformation and who do not have severe complications may survive up to 6 months with regular transfusions combined with supportive treatments such as anti-infective therapy. Ultimately, however, death results from widespread infiltration of leukemia cells or organ failure.

Therefore, the role of blood transfusion in late-stage leukemia is to improve quality of life rather than extend lifespan. Clinically, treatment decisions should respect patient preferences, combining transfusion support with palliative care to minimize suffering, rather than relying solely on transfusions in an attempt to prolong survival time.