Chemotherapy treatment can cause not only short term side effects but also some long term side effects that persist for several months and years later.
Tiredness and lack of stamina is one of the long term effects. Radiotherapy to the neck can cause under-active thyroid function sometimes years later, which is characterised by tiredness and lethargy. This is readily checked by blood tests and treated by thyroxine replacement. This is a common problem under chemotherapy treatment and curing takes months or years.
Fertility also gets affected by certain types of chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy to your pelvis, particularly when directed at your ovaries or testes. This may some times be a permanent effect, but should not be relied on as a contraceptive method. Where fertility is a concern, men can bank sperm prior to treatment; currently for women the only practical option is to have frozen embryos stored.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause organ damage. They may damage normal tissues and may cause long term effects. The effects vary depending on where the radiotherapy is directed and which chemotherapy drugs received. Some of these effects can be long term and troublesome. Vinca alkaloid chemotherapy drugs such as Vincristine or Vinblastine give rise to nerve damage. Diabetes may make these symptoms worse. Another example is that both radiotherapy to the chest and chemotherapy potentially damage the heart. Giving up smoking would be a wise precaution.
Under certain intensive chemotherapy drugs there is an increased risk of developing leukaemia after 8-10 years.
The long term effects of Chemotherapy treatment may be visible on the following parts of the body Ears, Heart, Lungs, Liver, GI Tract, Genitourinary, Bladder and Reproductive function.
The long term effect on ear is tinnitus, hearing loss; failure to follow instructions, poor school performance; decreased hearing. Damage to the outer hair cells of the cochlea is one of the major side effects of cisplatin.
The long term effect on Heart are pericarditis myocarditis syndrome; left ventricular failure; arrhythmias Heart failure, exercise intolerance, palpitations, shortness of breath, peripheral edema, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure.Chemotherapy can cause restrictive lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Shortness of breath, cyanosis, tachypnea, rales or wheezing.
The long term effects on Liver are hepatotoxicity, cirrhosis, fibrosis, chronic liver disease
The long term effects on Gastrointestinal Tract are damage to the mucosal lining of cells and delayed problems with absorption and secretion.
The long term effects on Genitourinary System are decreased creatinine clearance, hypomagnesemia, and renal tubular acidosis.
The long term effects on Bladder are hematuria, pyuria, dysuria, increased frequency of voiding, urinary incontinence.
The long term of chemotherapy on reproductive function for women are menstrual irregularities, premature menopause, infertility and the effects on men are infertility, decreased testosterone production.
Chemotherapy can cause permanent changes or damage to the heart, lungs, nerves, kidneys, and reproductive or other organs. Some anti-cancer drugs cause bladder irritation or result in temporary or permanent damage to the bladder or kidneys. Some anticancer drugs cause the urine to change color (orange, red, green, or yellow) or take on a strong or medicine-like odor for 24 to 72 hours.
One Comment
I had Hairy Cell leukemia 13 years ago, and received cladribine therapy 13 and 10 years ago. Since then I’ve noticed different changes in me that I’m still trying to find out whether they are HCL- or 2CDA-related. These include decrease in my olfactory senses, hyper-sensibility to sunlight exposure, chronic fatigue, low RBC, WBL and other blood components and peripheral weakness, pain and edema (referred on some medical lit as polyneuropathy). Should you have any information that could enlighten me about the relatedness of HCL or 2CDA to my symptoms I would appreciate it if you could e-mail me at: nildazoraya123@hotmail.com