Testicular cancer occurs when cells within the testicles begin to grow uncontrollably. One way of treating testicular cancer is through the use of chemotherapy, which uses chemicals that poison cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy can be given orally or infused through the veins. After this treatment, careful monitoring is needed to ensure that the cancer has been eradicated.
Side Effects
Patients who receive chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer will experience certain side effects. Although the exact side effect profile varies depending on the drugs used and the dosage, certain side effects are common, the American Cancer Society explains. These include nausea and vomiting. Patients may also experience hair loss and develop mouth ulcers due to destruction of cells in hair follicles and in the lining of the mouth. Chemotherapy also damages the bone marrow, resulting in fatigue, easy bruising/bleeding and a weakened immune system due to white blood cell destruction. Although these side effects can cause significant discomfort, they will gradually fade once the chemotherapy has stopped.
Monitoring
After a patient has received a course of chemotherapy, the patient will need to be monitored for signs of recurrence. This is especially important for patients for whom the cancer had already spread beyond the testicles. Patients will need to receive chest X-rays and have their blood tested for markers that can signify a recurrence of testicular cancer, Tc-Cancer.com reports. Initially patients will need to be tested every month for a cancer recurrence, though the frequency of these tests will diminish the longer the patient has been cancer free.
Salvage Chemotherapy
For patients who experience a recurrence of testicular cancer or have cancer that does not go into remission after the first course of chemotherapy, salvage chemotherapy may be needed. Salvage chemotherapy involves one or more courses of chemotherapy and often utilizes different medications than the initial treatment, the Testicular Cancer Resource Center states. Salvage chemotherapy, despite its name, is able to send the cancer into remission in some cases.
Chemotherapy and Organ Damage
Patients who receive the drugs bleomycin and cisplatin may experience organ damage which is permanent. Bleomycin can damage the lungs, Cancer.net notes, which can result in scar tissue accumulating in the pulmonary system. It can also damage blood vessels, resulting in impaired circulation and a greater risk of developing heart disease. Cisplatin, on the other hand, can damage the kidneys and nerves, resulting in permanent health problems.
Secondary Cancers
Men who are treated for chemotherapy also have an increased risk of developing cancer elsewhere in the body. These types of cancers, known as secondary cancers, are caused by the drugs used for chemotherapy causing DNA damage in other cells throughout the body. Men who receive chemotherapy alone are 80 percent more likely to develop cancer elsewhere in the body than men who do not receive chemotherapy. Those who receive chemotherapy combined with radiation, are three times more likely to develop another cancer compared with men in the general population, Cancer.net reports.
