Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

The side effects from cancer treatment can be challenging to patients.  Side effects may make daily life difficult while draining morale and energy.  However, many advances have been made in preventing and managing the most common side effects of treatment.

 

Variety of Side Effects

Cancer patients are more likely to complete their treatment programs when side effects are properly managed.  Educating patients about side effects can help through this difficult time.  Morale can be the deciding factor in recovery.

Side effects may vary for each patient.  Some side effects, present for some patients, may not occur for others.  Many factors may play a role in which side effects a patient experiences, including age, overall health, specific type of cancer, and the specific treatment plan.

Patients need to know the appropriate time to call their doctor about symptoms related to side effects. Some serious side effects require immediate medical care.  The severity of side effects may vary from a minor inconvenience or discomfort to excruciating pain and emotional distress.  A physician will be able to advise ways to relieve discomfort from treatment-related side effects.  It is important to obtain treatment before the side effects become more severe.

Some side effects occur during treatment, however side effects can continue well after treatment has been completed.  Short-term side effects, also known as acute, occur during treatment.  Short-term effects usually subside after treatment finishes.  Side effects that do not completely disappear until months or years after treatment are called long-term side effects.  Lastly, side effects that occur at least 6 months after treatment are called late effects.  These side effects occur less frequently than short-term or long-term effects.

The type of cancer treatment may affect which side effects patients' experience.  Whether patients receive surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or targeted therapy plays a role in the type of side effects and their severity.  A combination of treatments is more likely to cause side effects.

 

Side Effects of Treatment Methods

 

Surgery

A cancerous tumor maybe removed through surgery.  Lymph nodes in proximity of the tumor may also be removed in order to check if cancer has spread to the nodes.  Short-term and/or long-term effects may result from surgery.  The area of the body where the surgery is performed may determine the type and severity of side effects.  After surgery most patients experience some pain.  Patients should limit physical activities in the first few days or weeks after surgery.  Side effects may also affect some bodily functions.  Age, overall health, and the location of tumor may determine rate of recovery.  Scarring may also cause patients to feel negatively about their own body.

 

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells with beams of radiation delivered precisely to the tumor to avoid damaging normal cells.  However, it is not possible to completely avoid affecting normal cells.  The skin and underlying tissues in areas surrounding the radiation treatment may become sensitive. This short-term side effect usually resolves within 2 months after completion of treatment.  Short-term or long-term swelling and scarring may cause firm or contracted tissue. Depending upon the part of the body being treated, other short-term or long-term side effects may develop late after treatment.

 

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses strong drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body.  Damage to normal and healthy cells cause chemotherapy's side effects.  The healthy cells in the bone marrow, hair follicles, the lining inside of the mouth and digestive tract are most often damaged from chemotherapy.  Side effects can be short-term and long-term.  Difficulty with thinking, memory, and comprehension are possible long-term effects, also known as "chemo-brain."  Certain drugs have also been linked to late effects.

 

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy slows or stops the growth of prostate cancer in men.  It also helps prevent recurrence of some breast cancers in women.  This method decreases the natural hormones of the body.  Hormone therapy reduces testosterone levels in men, while decreasing estrogen and progesterone in women.  This treatment is usually done for many months or years, depending upon individual cases.  Women may experience symptoms similar to menopause.  Fortunately, hormone therapy's side effects usually resolve with termination of treatment.

 

Targeted Biologic Therapy

Through use of drugs or biologic substance biologic therapy stops or slows cancer growth through interfering with specific molecules involved in creating cancer cells.  Targeted therapy is less harmful, because it is designed to attack specific cells, unlike chemotherapy which is more damaging to normal and healthy cells.  Because hormone therapy may last for extended periods of time, short-term effects may last for many months.  Late effects are unclear because this therapy method is fairly new. Not enough research has been done to properly understand the late effects.

 

 

Side effects from cancer treatment are different for each person.  Consultation with one's physician and education about possible side effects will better prepare the patient.  Self-education is something proactive that the patient can do in order to maintain quality of life and allow for the most effective treatment possible.