Many breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy as part of cancer treatment. Chemotherapy drugs help promote breast cancer cell death by damaging the cell or interfering with cellular processes the cell needs to support life, eventually slowing or stopping cancer growth. Although it is an effective breast cancer treatment, chemotherapy can harm healthy cells as well. As a result, breast cancer patients receiving chemo may suffer from a number of complications.
Neutropenia
One possible complication of breast cancer chemotherapy is the development of neutropenia, a condition characterized by abnormally low white blood cell counts. Under normal conditions, white blood cells in the bloodstream function to help fight off infection; they recognize and destroy any infectious particles in the body. During chemotherapy, chemo drugs damage the rapidly-dividing bone marrow cells, reducing the rate of new white blood cell generation and ultimately reducing the number of white blood cells in the body. As a result, patients with neutropenia become vulnerable to infection and disease during cancer treatment. In extreme cases, white blood cells can drop so low the patient must stop chemotherapy treatment and allow the body to recover. Patients suffering from neutropenia may receive drugs called granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, which increase the number of white blood cells in the body, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Anemia
Another potential complication of breast cancer chemotherapy is anemia, a condition that develops due to low levels of red blood cells. Each red blood cell contains hemoglobin, a protein that binds oxygen in the lungs and then releases oxygen into the tissues of the body.
During chemotherapy treatment, damage to the bone marrow decreases the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream, reducing the amount of hemoglobin available to carry oxygen to tissues. As a result, patients with chemotherapy may develop anemia. The National Cancer Institute indicates that patients with anemia suffer from extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness and an abnormally high heartbeat. In some cases, anemia may require a patient pause chemotherapy treatment to allow the body to produce new red blood cells. Alternatively, patients with severe anemia may receive blood transfusions to supplement the level of red blood cells in the body.
Neuropathy
In some cases, patients receiving breast cancer chemotherapy may develop peripheral neuropathy, damage to nerves throughout the body. ChemoCare.com indicates that chemo drugs including tenoposide, paclitaxel and cisplatin can progressively damage the nervous system. Over time, this nerve damage leads to numbness and tingling, especially in the extremities, as well as constipation, muscle weakness and pain.
Patients most at risk for developing neuropathy include diabetics, alcoholics or patients who have received chemotherapy in the past. Breast cancer patients suffering from neuropathy as a complication of chemotherapy may receive medication to manage neuropathic pain, and may undergo physical therapy or massage to help alleviate the symptoms of neuropathy.
