Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

The treatment of a cancer may include the use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or some combination of all of these or other therapeutic options. All of these treatment options try to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, cancer treatments may also damage normal, healthy cells that are not affected by the cancer. The result of this damage is referred to as a side effect of treatment. 

You can take comfort from two important things: First, there has been a great deal of progress in the last 15 years in the development of many new and improved cancer treatments. These treatments are easier and more convenient to take and have fewer side effects than ones you may have heard bad things about in the past. Secondly, there are now a variety of effective medications and strategies available to help treat and minimize any side effects you may experience.

Why do side effects occur?

Side effects occur because most cancer treatments cannot distinguish between cancer cells and normal, healthy cells. For example, chemotherapy damages rapidly dividing cells, a hallmark trait of cancer cells. In the process, healthy cells that are also rapidly dividing, such as blood cells and the cells lining the mouth and GI tract are also damaged. Radiation therapy kills some healthy cells that are in the path of the radiation or near the cancer being treated. Newer radiation therapy techniques can reduce, but not eliminate this damage.

Why are side effects important?

The treatment regimen you and your doctor select to fight your cancer will be based on your individual needs and the type of cancer you have. You may experience some side effects or none at all. Your reaction to the treatment you receive will depend on many factors. In any case, it is important to speak with your doctor or nurse before your treatment begins about what side effects you might expect and how best to handle them.

Not only can side effects cause discomfort and unpleasantness, and sometimes serious complications, they may also prevent your health care team from delivering the prescribed dose of therapy at the specific time and schedule of the treatment plan. This is extremely important to understand since the expected outcome from therapy is based on delivering treatment at the dose and schedule of the treatment plan. In other words, they may limit your ability to achieve the best outcome from treatment by preventing the delivery of therapy at its optimal dose and time. For this reason, it is also important to let your doctor or nurse know about any unusual symptoms or feelings you may be experiencing.

For more information on side effects, click one of the links below:

Common side effects

Less common side effects

Long-term side effects