Chemotherapy
The side effects of chemotherapy
depend mainly on the specific drugs and the dose. In general,
anticancer drugs affect cells that divide rapidly,
especially leukemia cells. Chemotherapy
can also affect other rapidly dividing cells:
Blood cells:
These cells fight infection, help the blood to clot, and carry oxygen to
all parts of the body. When blood cells
are affected, patients are more likely to get infections, may bruise or bleed
easily, and may feel very weak and tired.
Cells in hair roots: Chemotherapy can lead to hair loss. The hair grows back, but the new hair may be somewhat different
in color and texture.
Cells that line the digestive tract: Chemotherapy can cause mouth and lip sores,
nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and poor appetite. Many of these side effects can be controlled with drugs.
Some
anticancer drugs can affect a patient’s
fertility. Women may have irregular menstrual periods or periods may stop
altogether. Women may have symptoms of
menopause, such as hot flashes and
vaginal dryness. Men may stop producing
sperm. Because these changes may be
permanent, some men have their sperm frozen and stored before treatment. Most children treated for leukemia appear to
have normal fertility when they grow up.
However, depending on the drugs and doses used and the age of the
patient, some boys and girls may be infertile
when they mature.
Because
targeted therapy (sometimes used for chronic myeloid leukemia) affects only leukemia cells, it causes fewer side effects
than most other anticancer drugs.
However, Gleevec may cause patients to retain water. This may cause swelling or bloating.
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