Cancer is a state in which the body’s own cells multiply out of control. As such, chemotherapy attempts to stop this unrestrained cell growth by killing human cells. Many chemotherapeutic agents work by interrupting a cell’s ability to make...

copies of itself. When it comes to cancer cells, this is a good thing; however, for any healthy cell that is dividing normally, chemotherapy can destroy these cells as well, leading to some of the characteristic side effects of this treatment.

 

Unfortunately there are dozens of possible chemotherapy side effects. Some of the more common side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, various types of anemia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, loss of appetite, and mouth sores. Newer chemotherapy drugs have fewer side effects than previous generations of medications. Likewise there are better drugs available to treat the chemotherapy side effects themselves. Most chemotherapy side effects resolve once the chemotherapy is discontinued; however, if organs are damaged by the drugs, the chemotherapy side effects can be permanent. Chemotherapy can potentially damage most organs in the body. Damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain can cause long term problems. If the chemotherapy affects the ears, hearing can be impaired.

 

One common chemotherapy side effects is anemia. The chemotherapeutic drugs can destroy white blood cells (immune system cells), red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen), and platelets (help form blood clots). These values are followed by a simple test called a complete blood cell count or CBC. If one of more anemias occur as a side effect of chemotherapy, there are possible treatments, such as a blood transfusion.

 

Chemotherapy can destroy the cells that make hair which is why many people that undergo chemotherapy temporarily lose their hair. If hair loss occurs as a side effect of chemotherapy, it will usually occur at two to three weeks after the drug has been administered. It will begin to regrow two to three months after the final chemotherapy treatment is given.