Chemotherapy and Cancer Treatment, Coping with Side Effects
What Causes Side Effects?
Because cancer cells may grow and divide more rapidly than normal cells, many
anticancer drugs are made to kill growing cells. But certain normal, healthy
cells also multiply quickly, and chemotherapy can affect these cells, too. This
damage to normal cells causes side effects. The fast-growing, normal cells most
likely to be affected are blood cells forming in the bone
marrow and cells in the digestive tract (mouth, stomach, intestines,
esophagus), reproductive system (sexual organs), and hair follicles. Some
anticancer drugs may affect cells of vital organs, such as the heart, kidney,
bladder, lungs, and nervous system.
You may have none of these side effects or just a few. The kinds of side
effects you have and how severe they are, depend on the type and dose of
chemotherapy you get and how your body reacts. Before starting chemotherapy,
your doctor will discuss the side effects that you are most likely to get with
the drugs you will be receiving. Before starting the treatment, you will be
asked to sign a consent form. You should be given all the facts about treatment
including the drugs you will be given and their side effects before you sign the
consent form.
How Long Do Side Effects Last?
Normal cells usually recover when chemotherapy is over, so most side effects
gradually go away after treatment ends, and the healthy cells have a chance to
grow normally. The time it takes to get over side effects depends on many
things, including your overall health and the kind of chemotherapy you have been
taking.
Most people have no serious long-term problems from chemotherapy. However, on
some occasions, chemotherapy can cause permanent changes or damage to the heart,
lungs, nerves, kidneys, reproductive or other organs. And certain types of
chemotherapy may have delayed effects, such as a second cancer, that show up
many years later. Ask your doctor about the chances of any serious, long-term
effects that can result from the treatment you are receiving (but remember to
balance your concerns with the immediate threat of your cancer).
The side effects of chemotherapy can be unpleasant, but they must be measured
against the treatment's ability to destroy cancer. Medicines can help prevent
some side effects such as nausea. Sometimes people receiving chemotherapy become
discouraged about the length of time their treatment is taking or the side
effects they are having. If that happens to you, talk to your doctor or nurse.
They may be able to suggest ways to make side effects easier to deal with or
reduce them.
Below you will find suggestions for dealing with some of the more common side
effects of chemotherapy.
For more information, please visit the
Cancer center.
Portions of the above information has been provided with the kind permission
of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (www.nci.nih.gov/).
Last Editorial Review: 7/7/2004
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