What are the most common side effects of Chemotherapy?

June 19, 2023

4 min read

Chemotherapy is a treatment to treat cancer, where cells multiply faster than average.

Although chemotherapy effectively kills cancer cells, it can have many side effects, some mild and treatable, while others cause serious complications.

Why does chemotherapy cause side effects?

Chemotherapy treats cancer by destroying cancer cells. While killing the cancerous cells, the treatment can also damage healthy cells, causing severe side effects.

Side effects experienced during chemotherapy often depend on the type of chemotherapy drug used. Some common side effects of chemotherapy treatment are:

Neutropenia

Certain cancer drugs can kill white blood cells, increasing the risk of having severe infections, a condition called neutropenia.

Tips to manage neutropenia and prevent infections:

Maintain good hygiene by washing their hands frequently.
Avoid crowded places.
Eat a nutritious diet to prevent infections.

Fatigue

While chemotherapy kills the cancer cells, it also damages some healthy cells. During treatment, your body not only fights cancer but also repairs damaged healthy cells. The increased activity causes extreme fatigue, affecting your regular life.

Chemotherapy can reduce red blood cells, causing anemia and leading to fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, bleeding, and bruising, and weakness.

Tips for managing fatigue

To better manage fatigue during cancer treatment, understand the pattern of fatigue and take frequent rest between activities.
Have a nutritious diet, exercise, and reduce stress to improve overall well-being.

Hair loss

You can experience hair loss with chemotherapy treatment as the hair follicles are sensitive to chemo drugs. Hair usually grows back within 2 to 3 months of treatment.

Tips for managing hair loss

Avoid using harsh chemicals and frequently shampooing or combing your hair.
Protect your head by wearing a hat, turban, or scarf outdoors.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea with appetite loss

Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea during chemotherapy are chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

Chemo drugs can cause a change in the taste of the food, while treatments in the mouth and throat can cause difficulty in swallowing, leading to a loss of appetite.

Tips for managing CINV and appetite loss:

Take the recommended medications and drink enough fluid to prevent dehydration. Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day and avoid hard-to-digest foods like fried and high-fat foods to aid digestion.
To combat appetite loss, eat good, tasty foods, and avoid drying your mouth by sucking on ice chips or sugar-free candies between meals.
If mouth sores cause difficulty in eating, avoid food like carbonated beverages and acidic foods that irritate the mouth.

Skin changes

Chemotherapy can cause itchy, dry skin with redness and swelling symptoms. Your skin can change color or darken, and you can have skin rashes, including hand-foot syndrome, during treatment. Some types of chemotherapy can cause a decrease in platelets and can lead to bruising and bleeding.

Tips for managing skin changes

Avoid using products like cosmetics, deodorants, and perfumes that irritate the skin.
Be gentle with your skin. Use sunscreen to protect your skin from the harsh UV rays of the sun.
Wear loose-fitting clothes to let your skin breathe.
For bleeding, press down firmly on the area with a clean cloth.
For bruising, ice the area.

Trouble concentrating

It is common for people to experience short-term memory issues during chemotherapy. Certain chemo drugs can affect brain function, causing chemotherapy brain fog or chemo brain. Heightened stress from a cancer diagnosis can cause depression, worsening the symptoms.

Tips to improve brain functions

To improve brain function and reduce anxiety:

Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Exercise your brain by reading regularly and participating in activities that challenge your mind.

Bladder problems

Some chemotherapy drugs can irritate the bladder, causing urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms, pelvic pain, and fever.

Tips for managing bladder issues

Increase fluid intake.
Take steps to reduce infection risks.

Sex and fertility issues

Chemotherapy can lower estrogen levels in women and testosterone in males, causing symptoms of hormonal changes. The stress of cancer diagnosis and treatment can affect your sex life.

Tips for managing sex and fertility issues: