What are the Common Side Effects of Oncology Medicine?
Cancer medication side effects vary from one another.
It can range from mild to severe side effects, depending on several factors-
- Type of therapy
- Overall health
- Medication dose
- Delivery method
- Type of combinations
As the leading pharmaceutical company, Aprazer Healthcare manufactures a range of anticancer drugs.
With continuous drug discovery and development, we are focused on developing innovative cancer treatments.
We have WHO-GMP-approved manufacturing facilities.
We manufacture a complete range of oncology orals and oncology injectables.
The common side effects include –
Cancer drugs affect normal body cells. It alters the body’s functions and metabolism.
Bone marrow suppression –
The cancer drugs act upon the rapidly dividing cells.
The bone marrow produces the blood cells in huge numbers every day.
The cancer drugs attack the stem cells.
It reduces the blood count.
It causes 3 effects –
- Neutropenia –
It is a condition with a drop in white blood cells.
This weakens the immune system.
This reduces body’s ability to fight infections.
This increases the risk of infections.
- Anemia – The decrease in red blood cells causes weakness.
These carry oxygen in the body.
The healthy cells get deprived of oxygen.
- Thrombocytopenia –
It is caused by the fall in platelet count.
This causes bleeding upon bruises or injury.
It inhibits the clotting of the blood.
Gastrointestinal side effects
The cancer medicines destroy the gastrointestinal lining.
It causes epithelial cell damage.
It leads to gut dysbiosis and inflammation.
It can cause –
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Mouth ulcers
- Loss of appetite
- Taste changes
- changes in bowel habits
Systemic and neurological side effects
Weakness-
Extreme tiredness due to anemia.
It leads to continuous exhaustion due to systemic inflammation.
Lack of energy for cell repair and metabolism.
Liver /kidney damage-
The toxic drug metabolites are cleared through the liver /kidney.
It leads to toxic burdening of the organs.
Peripheral neuropathy
The cancer drugs damage the peripheral nerves.
It damages the neurons.
It leads to –
- Numbness
- burning pain
- Hypersensitivity
- Balance issues
- Orthostatic hypotension
Hair loss-
The cancer drugs affect the keratinocytes in the hair follicles.
It resists hair growth.
The hair shaft breaks off and falls.
Skin /nail changes –
The chemo drugs inhibit the oil gland secretions.
It leads to depletion of moisture.
It causes-
- Dryness
- Itching
- Rashes
- Pruritus
- Photosensitivity
Infertility-
The cancer drugs reach the gonads.
They stop formation of new blood vessels.
It reduces the blood supply to the reproductive organs.
It also kills the sperm producing cells or the egg cells.
Chemo brain
Cancer drugs affect healthy tissues.
It releases a large amount of pro-inflammatory kinases.
This activates the brain’s immune cells.
Certain drugs cross the blood-brain barrier.
This damages the wall of the blood vessels.
It also damages the neural stem cells.
The axons are damaged, inhibiting electrical signals.
Are these side effects manageable?
These side effects often resolve in a few months after the completion of the treatment.
- Plan daily activities.
- Exercise
- Reduce stress
- Focus on diet
- Apply moisture for skin changes
- Use scalp cooling
- increase hydration
- Take an antiemetic as given by the doctor
Note – In cases of severe symptoms, always visit an oncologist.
Avoid any medicines on your own.
