Chemo Side Effects

Though chemotherapy has helped cure many patients with cancer, the treatment causes many side effects to the patient. Most of the side effects are short term in nature but there are a few long term side effects of chemotherapy also. The long term side effects of chemotherapy are rare and their occurrence depends upon the type of cancer and the drugs used. Long term side effects of chemotherapy can be felt months or even years of completing a chemo treatment regimen. This why it is important to talk to a doctor first and try to understand the short and long term effects of chemotherapy before starting chemo treatment.

Damage to some organs of the human body like the heart, lungs and the kidneys are long term side effects of chemotherapy. Doctors usually check for inherent weaknesses or diseases of the patient’s organs before deciding on the type of chemo drugs to be used. For example, if a patient’s heart condition is weak and is susceptible to heart damage, doctors will avoid specific chemo drugs that are known to cause damage to the heart. Excessive bleeding and infertility are the two other long term side effects of chemotherapy. But one of the most worrying and dangerous long term side effects of chemotherapy is the occurrence of another cancer. Though the risk of someone acquiring a second cancer is very low, it is always better to ask the doctor the long term side effects of specific chemo drugs used in the treatment.