An overview of the side effects of chemotherapy

Different chemotherapy drugs cause different side effects, and some people may have very few. Cancer treatments cause different reactions in different people and any reaction can vary from treatment to treatment. It may be helpful to remember that almost all side effects are only short-term and will gradually disappear once the treatment has stopped.

The main areas of your body that may be affected by chemotherapy are those where normal cells rapidly divide and grow, such as the lining of your mouth, the digestive system, your skin, hair and bone marrow (the spongy material that fills the bones and produces new blood cells).

If you want to know more about the side effects that may be caused by your chemotherapy treatment you should ask your doctor or chemotherapy nurse, as they will know the exact drugs you are taking. Although the side effects of chemotherapy can be unpleasant, they need to be weighed against the benefits of the treatment. However, if you find that the treatment or its side effects are making you unwell, you should tell your doctor or chemotherapy nurse. You may be able to have medicines to help you, or changes can be made to your treatment to lessen any side effects.

CancerBACUP’s information on individual chemotherapy drugs gives specific details on their side effects.