Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for various kinds of cancer. Most of the side effects that you experience are temporary and are alleviated once the chemotherapy is over. However, you may develop changes in your body that can last for months or even years after you complete your treatment.
Resistance
Intense chemotherapy can affect your immune system. Even after completing your treatment, you are likely to be more prone to infections such as colds and other viral and bacterial infections. These will gradually improve until your resistance is back to normal. However, it may take up to several months. In the meantime, it is important for you to take extra precautions when it comes to your health, so minimize infection.
Infertility
Some drugs used in chemotherapy cause infertility, or the inability to have children. Depending on the type of drug you take and other factors such as your age, this condition can be temporary or permanent. Before starting this treatment, you should discuss the possibility of long-term infertility with your doctor. There are options that you can take before beginning chemotherapy in case you experience infertility. Men can consider going to a sperm bank to preserve their sperm, which can be used in fertility treatment.
Organ Damage
Long-term chemotherapy can cause problems in some bodily organs. For example, anthracyclines, such as daunorubicin and doxorubicin, can damage your heart. This is because most chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic, which means that they cure the cancer by killing the cells that are dividing. Normal cells, such as those found in bone marrow and the mucosal cells in the mouth and intestinal linings, also regularly go through division. Thus, even normal cells can be targeted by chemotherapy drugs and experience some damage. Be aware of this long-term side effect and undergo check-ups with your doctor even several years after completing your chemotherapy treatment.
Nervous System
Chemotherapy can alter your central nervous system, cranial nerves and peripheral nerves. These changes can be detected even years after you finish your chemotherapy treatment. Some of the symptoms you can experience are stiff necks, headaches and vision problems. You can also experience an increased sensitivity to smells in the environment as well as ringing in your ears. When chemotherapy affects your peripheral nervous system, its effects are usually seen in your hands and feet. Even years after finishing your chemotherapy treatment, you can experience decreased sensation and numbness.
Memory Loss
Intense chemotherapy can have long-term effects on your brain functions and can result in deterioration of memory, lack of concentration and difficulty in comprehension. This occurrence is termed "chemo brain" or "chemo fog," and is thought to be caused by the presence of invasive cancer cells in the body. Other possible causes are the anesthesia, hormonal treatments and drugs used to control some of the symptoms brought on by the chemotherapy.
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