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- Published: May 20, 2022 10:51
New Delhi: Chemotherapy, is a drug treatment that is given to a patient to kill cancer cells. This can be used as a solo treatment or in a combination to treat many types of cancers.
Are the chemical dangerous?
The chemicals used are said to be very powerful, and can cause several side effects. The side effects may vary according to the chemotherapy drugs.
Side effects of chemotherapy:
To name some of the common side effects of chemotherapy are fatigue, hair loss, body ache, and appetite change. According to Dr Pooja Babbar, Medical Oncologist, American Oncology Institute, Gurugram, listed some of the common side effects of chemotherapy.
Nausea, Vomiting and Diarrhea
It is said that certain chemotherapy drugs can result to nausea, vomiting, oral mucositis, diarrhea, and constipation. This is because of effective antiemetics or drugs that can result to vomiting and nausea like NK1 receptor antagonist, 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, olanzapine, benzodiazepines, and cannabinoids.
The chemotherapy-related diarrhea can only be managed with oral hydration, dietary modification, and antidiarrheal therapy.
Loss of taste:
The chemotherapy treatment can also result to loss of taste and sometimes the salivary changes too. For this, oral cryotherapy is effective as a preventive measure for swelling in your mouth due to a chemotherapy drug 5 FU bolus.
