Chemotherapy Side-Effects

Mouth sores during chemotherapy are one of the most common short term side-effects.

Black line(s) across the nails are common in dark-skinned persons but may also be the result of injury or chemotherapy.

Nearly all chemotherapy cause a short-term reduction in bone marrow function.

The most common reason that cancer patients experience neutropenia is as a side-effect of chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia typically occurs 3-7 days following administration of the chemotherapy drugs and continues for several days before recovering to normal levels.  Infrequently, cancer patients may also experience neutropenia from other medications or as a consequence of their underlying cancer.

Most chemotherapy drugs inhibit cell functions that are critical to proper wound repair.

Some chemotherapy agents are known inhibitors of folic acid enzymes and as such can induce a megaloblastic anemia.

Radiation can damage the salivary glands and reduce the amount of saliva produced.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy destroy fast-growing cells such as white blood cells.  Patients receiving a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy are at greater risk of a low white count.

Several studies have shown that glutamine, when used as an oral rinse, can help to reduce cancer chemotherapy-induced mouth sores.

Marijuana is being used to counteract the toxicity of chemotherapy. [Grinspoon, L., and Bakaler, J.B. "Marijuana as Medicine." Journal of the American Medical Association 1995; 273(23): pp1875-76.]