Cancer Chemotherapy Side Effects

Chemotherapy Side Effects : patient education is most important .

Side Effects

1) Appetite changes

2) Anemia

3) Nausea and Vomiting

 4) Mucositis

  5) Neutropenia

   6)Thrombocytopenia

   7)Alopecia

   8) Neuropathy

  Chemotherapy :Drugs kill dividing cells .

1)Cancer cells divide much more often than normal cells .

2) Chemotherapy affects also healthy body tissues,where the cells are constantly growing and dividing .Eg Bone marrow hair,lining of digestive system.

Chemotherapy Used :

1) To shrink cancer before surgery or radiotherapy.

2) To relieve symptoms

3) Giving longer life

4) To control spread of cancer 

    

   Neutropenia : Decreased level of 

    WBC white blood cells called nutrophils 

    These type of WBC protect us from bacterial infections . Chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells in bone marrow

 that become nutrophils.

Neutropenia symptoms:

Fever  

Sore throat
 shaking chills
 cough
shortness of breath
 .Burning with urination.

Guidlines : Hand washing use liquid soap .Stay away from people with infections .Avoid large crowds .Take dietecian advice.

Anemia :Body does not have enough red blood cells.

Anemia grades:

1) Mild Hemoglobin 10gms /100ml blood lower limit of normal

2) Moderate 8-or lower than 10

3) Severe 6.5-or less than 8

 Normal Range WBC  4000-10000/cubic mm 

Absolute Neutrophil count 2500-6000

Mild nutropenia 1000-1500

Minimal risk of infection

Moderate nutropenia 500-1000

Severe nutropenia less than 500

Mucositis : oral inflammation that occurs  in mouth 

 -Dysphagia : difficulty swallowing foods or liquids.

Gingival infection: 

Prevention Guide lines

1)oral hygiene

2)Regular tooth brushing use soft brush

Always Take Doctor Advice 

Above information will guide and may help to understand doctor's language.