LOW WHITE BLOOD CELLS White Blood Cells: There are three main types of cells in your blood: white cells, red cells and platelets. White blood cells help your body to fight infections. When there are not enough white blood cells in the blood, you may be at risk of getting an infection more easily, or [...]
Cancer Therapy Education, Cancer Therapy Side Effects, Chemotherapy Side Effects
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea is a feeling of sickness in the stomach that may lead to vomiting. Vomiting is the emptying of the stomach contents through the mouth. Nausea and vomiting may be caused by the chemotherapy or radiation treatment you are receiving. They may also be caused by the cancer itself, or other diseases. It is not […]
LOW PLATELETS: There are three main types of cells in your blood: white cells, red cells and platelets. Platelets help the blood to clot. When you have low platelets, you may bruise or bleed more easily. How to know if you have low platelets: To confirm if your platelets are low, a blood sample will […]
HAND-FOOT SYNDROME Hand-Foot syndrome: Hand-Foot Syndrome, which is also known as Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia – PPE, is a side effect, which can occur with some chemotherapy. For example, Capecitabine (Xeloda®), 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), continuous-infusion of Doxorubicin, Liposomal Doxorubicin (Caelyx®), Sunitinib (Sutent®) and Sorafenib (Nexavar®) can cause this reaction in some patients. This syndrome is characterized by redness, […]
Hair Loss during chemotherapy: Not all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, but the ones that do are fairly predictable. If your doctor has told you to expect hair loss, this is what usually happens: One and a half weeks after your first treatment, your scalp may become tender. Some people don’t feel this at all, […]
Diarrhea can be a common side effect of cancer therapy. DIARRHEA and Cancer Patients: There are many reasons why a cancer patient may have diarrhea as some types of cancer grow, they can block the intestines and cause diarrhea. Some types of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to the abdomen can be a cause. It may last […]
Many cancer therapies can cause constipation. Constipation and Cancer Patients: There are many reasons why a cancer patient may have constipation, such as: • Some medications, such as pain medications, certain anti-emetics and some types of chemotherapy, can cause constipation. The constipation from narcotic pain relievers occurs in most patients, and should be prevented in […]
Anemia is a fairly common side effect of cancer therapy. ANEMIA Red Blood Cells: There are three main types of cells in your blood: white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the tissues in the body. Oxygen is needed to produce energy. Lowered red blood cell […]
Topotecan is an anticancer drug used to treat small cell lung cancers and cancer of the ovaries when other treatments have failed. To learn more, click here.
Zometa (Zoledronic Acid) is a cancer support drug that is administered intravenously. To learn more, click here.