Complications of chemotherapy
The principle complication of chemotherapy is bone marrow suppression especially in the treatment of AML. During induction, there may be a temporary exacerbation of bleeding. Others complications include:
- diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting
- oral ulceration
- alopecia
- tumour lysis syndrome
- side effects related to particular drugs:
- neuropathy from vincristine
- cardiotoxicity from daunorubicin
Long term effects include:
- infertility
- learning and growth disorders in children from cranial irradiation for ALL; attempts now being made to use high-dose intrathecal methrotrexate instead
- cardiac arrythmias and cardiomyopathy
- pulmonary fibrosis
- second malignancy: leukaemia or solid tumour
- cataracts
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