To kill growing cancer cells many anticancer drugs are used. Cancer cells may grow as well as divide more rapidly than the normal cells. Cancer chemotherapy side effects involve affecting certain healthy, normal cells which multiply quickly. A lot of side effects are cause due to this damage to normal cells. Blood cells in the hair follicles, reproductive system including the sexual organs, cells in the digestive tract like the esophagus, intestines, stomach and mouth, blood cells forming in the bone marrow could be the most likely fast growing normal cells that can be affected by chemotherapy.
Discuss with your doctor:
Some of the cells of vital organs such as the nervous system, lungs, bladder, kidney and heart can be affected by anticancer drugs. There could be just a few side effects or there may be no side effects at all. Depending on the dose of chemotherapy and the type of dose, the body reacts differently. The different kinds of cancer chemotherapy side effects and the severity of the side effects are consistently monitored. Doctors usually discuss the side effects that you are most likely to develop with the drugs being prescribed, before starting the chemotherapy.
The doctor usually asks the patient to sign a consent form before starting the treatment. He or she will then be given all the facts about the treatment, including the type of drugs that will be administered, as well as their side effects before signing the consent form.
Side effects – how long do they last:
Most of the cancer chemotherapy side effects gradually go away after the treatment is over, so normal cells usually recover when chemotherapy is over. After the treatment ends the healthy cells have a chance to grow normally. The kind of chemotherapy you have been taking including your overall health are the main factors that determine the time you will take to get over the side effects. Very often no serious long term problems are faced by patients undergoing chemotherapy. But sometimes on some occasions permanent damage can be caused to reproductive organs, kidneys, nerves, lungs, heart and other organs because of chemotherapy. Sometimes there are delayed effects such as development of a secondary cancer which shows up many years later, due to certain types of chemotherapy.
It is important to ask the doctors about the chances of any long term serious effect which can result from the chemotherapy treatment you are receiving. Once you know about the immediate threat of your condition, remember to address your concerns with the threat. Cancer chemotherapy side effects must be measured against the ability of the treatment to destroy cancer, but besides that the side effects of chemotherapy can be very unpleasant. Some of the side effects such as nausea can be prevented by medicines. Many of the cancer patients get discouraged about receiving chemotherapy due to the side effects and the length of time taken for the treatment. It is always advisable to talk to the doctor if this happens with you. To reduce the side effects, deal with them better and to make side effects easier, doctors suggest different ways to cope.
There are common cancer chemotherapy side effects like hair loss, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, pain, radiation recall, fluid retention anemia, diarrhea, infection, constipation, nerve disorders, muscle disorders, problems with blood clotting, throat, gum and mouth problems, effects on skin and nails, flu like symptoms and bladder and kidney disorders.
Effects of chemotherapy on lifestyle:
As far as treatment of cancer is concerned, there is a combination of different drugs administered to the cancer patient at different levels. In other words chemotherapy is a systemic treatment of cancer. Drugs can be administered orally or intravenously. Rapidly dividing cells which include cancer cells and very unfortunately some normal cells are killed by those antineoplastic drugs. Some of the normal cells like the cells in the skin , the bowels, hair follicles, the stomach, mouth and cells in the blood can get affected with the antineoplastic drugs. Sometimes, the side effects of chemotherapy can last a lifetime. There are always cancer chemotherapy side effects due to the damage of healthy cells.
There are some other adverse effects reported by individuals undergoing chemotherapy treatment. These adverse effects include, lack of appetite, change in sleeping habits of the individual, irritation in the mouth, decreased sexual desire, fatigue, loss of hearing, problems with nails, constipation, disorders of the skin, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea, loss of hair, infertility and a range of emotional problems. The risk of developing other forms of cancer as well as risk of heart disease also increases due to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has a range of side effects depending on the type of medication used. Nevertheless, this killer ailment needs to be dealt with in the most appropriate manner and one such definition of appropriate in this situation is called chemo!