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Some Chemotherapy Effects that You Need to Check

28th October, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Chemotherapy refers to the treatment of a disease by means of chemicals meant to kill cells, typically cells of micro-organisms or cancer. This treatment works by attacking and killing cells which divide very quickly as cancer cells do. Unfortunately, chemotherapy destroys other cells with a rapid division speed which is normal for the body functions; the bone marrow, the hair follicles and the digestive tract will be the most affected. Hence, the chemotherapy effects usually damage these areas. The most common adverse reactions that occur during and after chemotherapy include myelosuppresion – decrease in the production of blood cells, mucositis – inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, and alopecia – hair loss.

classified according to the extent of the adverse reactions into long and short term categories. Side effects of chemotherapy represent unwanted symptoms which occur as a direct result of taking a drug. It is not difficult to confuse drug side effects with symptoms of cancer. Symptoms are specific to the disease in fact, while the side effects consist of natural adverse reactions to a powerful external intervention in the body. Anyway, various chemotherapy drugs have different short term and long term side effects; not all chemotherapy drugs lead to every side effect.

In more general terms, chemotherapy affects those cells with a faster division. Chemotherapy will thus affect the bone marrow responsible for blood cells production, the mouth, the intestines, the skin and the hair. Since hair is growing all the time, the skin is constantly renewing itself and the lining of the digestive system and the mouth have the same dynamics, then, the new cells result from a rapid and constant division occurring in these parts of the body. And, unfortunately, it is due to this division process that the chemotherapy drugs attack proper functioning body parts.

Chemotherapy effects and adverse reactions also vary from one patient to another. The intensity of the experience, and their evolution during the treatment depend on many various factors. These elements refer to the period of drug administration, the concentration of the drug, how the drug is administered, the patient’s overall health condition, as well as the combined use of chemotherapy medication and other remedies. Some chemotherapy effects represent serious medical conditions which require professional help; others, although upsetting, are not necessarily damaging to the patient’s health. It is also relevant to discuss the effects of chemotherapy with the doctor and the contact person at the treating center where the patient is given the treatment.

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