Chemotherapy
Click on the different side effects to learn more about them.
Fatigue
Feeling tired and weak. A patient may not have energy for usual daily activities.
Dry skin
Flaking or scaly skin. Some chemotherapy drugs cause the skin to lose its moisture resulting in itchy, dry skin.
Poor appetite
Loss of interest in food. Some medicines change how food tastes or smells causing patients to dislike certain foods.
Infections
Cancer treatments can decrease the body’s ability to fight infections as healthy immune cells are often killed with cancer cells.
Excessive bleeding
This can occur because the body has a reduced level of platelets to help stop bleeding.
Nausea
The feeling of sickness associated with the urge to vomit. Nausea and vomiting are related, but each may occur without the other.
Hair loss
The cells that control hair growth are fast-growing cells, like cancer cells. These can be damaged by chemotherapy.
Mouth and throat sores (mucositis)
Mucositis is a swelling of the mucous membrane. It often results in painful sores in the mouth and throat.
Chemo brain
Patients may notice changes in thinking, attention, or memory. Cancer patients often call this “chemo brain” or “brain fog.”
Infertility
Chemotherapy may affect a person’s ability to reproduce. There are ways to protect fertility before therapy begins that are only an option for some patients.
