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Complications of chemotherapy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

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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