Introduction
Chemotherapy, as it is used for many types of cancer, has many and often serious side effects due to its mode of action. Nevertheless, it is often used because it helps many patients to heal, relieve pain, stop tumour growth or reduce the size of the tumour. Which side effects occur depends on the individual patient. There are also different types of chemotherapy or the substances used.
Side effects
High-dose chemotherapy often causes the mucous membranes in all parts of the body to dry out, especially in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth. Diarrhoea or constipation, nausea and vomiting often occur. At the root of the nail, there are cells that are very willing to divide, which in some patients are also attacked by the chemotherapy.
Many patients therefore suffer from brittle nails, which also have white stripes, as well as longitudinal and transverse grooves. The hair is also mostly affected and patients then suffer from hair loss. In addition, chemotherapy can also result in a changed blood count in some people.
In most cases, the number of white blood cells (leukocytes) changes. Since they are essential for the functioning immune system, this blood count is strictly controlled. If the number of leukocytes (white blood cells) is too low, chemotherapy must be paused or the intervals between cycles extended.
In addition to the white blood cells, the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes) can also be disturbed, as these are formed in the bone marrow, where they are often not sufficiently guaranteed. Red blood cells are important for oxygen transport. If too few erythrocytes are present, this is called anaemia.
The performance is often greatly reduced and patients are very tired. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors also belong to the chemotherapeutic drugs. In contrast to the classical chemotherapeutic drugs, however, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors act specifically and thus cause fewer side effects.
The mucous membranes are also particularly frequently affected by the effect of chemotherapy, which is why one of the most common and unpleasant side effects of a therapy for the patient is nausea and vomiting. Again, the occurrence of these side effects is not a must and varies greatly from person to person. However, since nausea and/or vomiting considerably reduces the quality of life and tolerability of the therapy, it is of particular importance to fight it with the help of other drugs.
In Germany, various drugs are offered here that can help on different levels. It is important to note here that the therapy is carried out in good time before the administration of chemotherapy and is repeated often enough. A common side effect of cancer therapy that is very feared is hair loss of the scalp hair, but also of all other body hair.
This does not occur in every patient undergoing chemotherapy and not to the same extent in everyone. Whether and how extensive the hair falls out depends on many different factors, such as the age of the patient, the active substance, the dose and the length of the chemotherapy. However, since the cytostatic agents used in chemotherapy damage particularly fast-growing tissue, the hair follicles are often attacked, which leads to the loss of the existing hair.
This can occur immediately at the beginning of a therapy or 4 weeks later. In many cases, this condition is reversible after completion of the therapy. After a few months after the end of therapy, the hair grows back again.
It may take further months before they return to their original state. Rarely does the loss continue after the therapy. In the past, many remedies have been tested for prevention.
Today, the use of cold hoods is particularly common, which reduce the blood flow to the hair follicles and thus the chemotherapeutic agent’s ability to reach the hair follicle. Coughing under the administration of chemotherapeutic agents can have various causes. On the one hand, the cough can be caused by an infection of the respiratory tract or lungs.
On the other hand, certain chemotherapeutic agents can damage the lung tissue, which can lead to breathing difficulties and a dry cough. If coughing occurs during chemotherapy, patients should consult their attending physician. Fever is one of the body’s natural defence mechanisms.
Under chemotherapy, the occurrence of fever should be taken seriously in order to avoid possible complications and to treat it early. The administration of chemotherapeutic drugs can impair the body’s defensive performance, which is why the patient’s immune system is no longer as powerful in defending itself against infections as before. In case of fever, those who are currently undergoing chemotherapy are strongly advised to introduce themselves to their attending physician.
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