7 Harmful Effects Of Chemotherapy

Cancer is often treated by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves extermination of cancer cells with the help of cytotoxic chemicals. These chemicals are either injected into the patient or are given in oral form. Another way to carry out chemotherapy is to rub the cytotoxic chemicals on the body of the patient.

These cytotoxic chemicals are undoubtedly powerful but at the same time they have various damaging side effects. Here are some of the serious side effects of chemotherapy.

Harmful Effects Of Chemotherapy

Infection

Patients undergoing chemotherapy tend to be at higher risk of infection. According to studies, chemotherapy has caused infection in at least 40% of the cancer patients. This happens because drugs cannot make a demarcation between non-cancerous cells and cancerous cells. As a result, WBCs that help fight infection are also killed by chemotherapy.

Dehydration

Chemotherapy can also lead to extreme dehydration in the patients. Chemotherapy induces diarrhea in the patients which is sometimes accompanied by vomiting. If expulsion of fluids exceeds the fluid intake, the result is chemotherapy-induced dehydration. Dehydration is fatal because it repels important nutrients such as sodium and potassium from the body. Intravenous fluids intake is a good way to address the problem.

Thrombocytopenia

This condition is characterized by less platelet counts than the normal. The platelets (thrombocytes) prevent hemorrhages and help in the formation of blood clots. If there are lesser platelet counts in the body, the person is subjected to prolonged bleeding even in cases of small bruise or cut.

While undergoing chemotherapy, patients have to be diagnosed for thrombocytopenia. If the patient is diagnosed positive, chemotherapy treatment should be immediately stopped. The patient shall have to be given time for recovery during which platelet transfusions will have to be performed.

Hemorrhagic Cystitis

If urine is accompanied with blood (hematuria), the condition is called hemorrhagic cystitis. This condition can show up after chemotherapy or even during the treatment. Hemorrhagic cystitis is often connected to ifosomide and cyclophasphamide – medications used in chemotherapy. This condition is quite serious as it either leads to substantial blood loss (urosepsis) or urinary tract infection.

Peripheral Neuropathy

This is a condition when the nerve cells are damaged due to chemotherapy. The onset of peripheral neuropathy is associated with signs such as numbness and weakness of the hands and feet. Some of the chemotherapy agents inducing peripheral neuropathy in the patient are docetaxel, paclitaxel and oxaliplatin.

Thrombus

Chemotherapy can also cause disturbed blood flow due to formation of blood clots. This leads to harmful results such as heart attack when blood clot forms in heart artery. It can lead to lung embolus that occurs when dislodged blood clot travels through the bloodstream and the blood vessel supplying to lung becomes clogged up by the clot. Embolus is associated with artery blockage in lungs resulting in chest pain as well as shortness in breath.

Hair Loss

Chemotherapy kills new hair follicle cells at a rapid rate. Such rapid hair fall starts taking place 2 to 3 weeks from the first infusion of chemotherapy. There may be partial hair loss or complete hair loss depending upon what type of chemotherapy is given. However, experts say that hair grows back when the treatment is over. But new hair may not be of the same color and texture as the patient’s natural hair.