According the the National Cancer Institute, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United State. It ravages the body, with the cancerous cells expanding at an alarming rate. Chemotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of cancer. There are many types of chemotherapy drugs, but the common denominator is that they kill fast-moving cells in the body. Because there are over 100 forms of cancer, the effectiveness of chemotherapy is hard to determine, but taken in concert with other forms of treatment, cancer survivor rates continue to climb every year. But with any harsh treatment, there are side effects. Chemotherapy is no different.
Cause of Side Effects
Chemotherapy is designed to move quickly through the body, eradicating cancer cells. But, because it travels through the body, it comes into contact with other cells that are normal and can damage them also. Damage to normal tissue in the body is at the root of chemotherapy's side effects.
Short Term
One of the more common cells to take the brunt of chemotherapy treatment are the hair follicles. Because of this, it's not uncommon for those going through a steady diet of chemotherapy treatments to go bald. Along with hair loss, nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, anemia and infection are generally associated with the taking of chemotherapy drugs. The good news is that most of these side effects are short-lived and will go away once treatment is finished, or shortly thereafter.
Long Term
Sometimes a steady dose of chemotherapy can lead to side effects that go undetected for months or years after the treatment is over. The risks a chemotherapy patient may open herself up to as a result of the treatment depends upon the type of drugs being used. Lung damage, heart and kidney problems, damage to the nerves, infertility and the risk of a second cancer are possible side effects that could last long after chemotherapy is completed.
Emotional
Side effects that have nothing to do with the physical body can be just as difficult to go through. There is nothing easy about chemotherapy. It affects daily life and can be a major cause of strain for the patient as well as his family. Because of this, emotions are highly susceptible to the treatment.
Targeted Chemotherapy
There are a number of new chemotherapy drugs out there that target the cancer and work to stop the cancer from converting normal cells and creating tumors. Targeted therapy allows doctors to treat the cancer without the collateral damage to healthy cells. Targeted chemotherapy drugs can cause rashes and discoloration of the skin. This is because the drugs target the cancer's ability to make additional cells. It also prevents normal cells from making new cells, thus the side effects.
Brain Side Effects
Many chemotherapy patients complain of mental cloudiness. Called chemo brain, this mental cloudiness can be experienced before, during and after chemotherapy. No one knows what causes chemo brain, but according to the American Cancer Society imaging tests performed on chemotherapy patients have shown changes in the areas of the brain that deal with planning, memory and thought processing.
