What side effects does chemotherapy have? What are the side effects of chemotherapy drugs?

Chemotherapy is a commonly used method to kill cancer cells in clinic, and it is also the most effective method to directly inhibit the spread and metastasis of cancer cells. Cancer patients need regular chemotherapy to suppress cancer. Everyone knows that extremes meet, so long-term chemotherapy is very harmful to patients' personal health. What side effects does chemotherapy have? How long will the side effects of chemotherapy last?

1, chemotherapy side effects

1. Decreased immune function

Chemotherapy drugs are radioactive, which will damage the immune system of patients and lead to the decline or even defect of immune function. Because most anti-tumor chemotherapy drugs have immunosuppressive effect, the immune organs in patients are damaged to varying degrees after chemotherapy. This is one of the side effects of chemotherapy.

2. Inflammatory reaction and digestive system diseases

Most chemotherapy drugs will stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, leading to a sudden decrease in food intake, and in severe cases, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation will occur. This is a common side effect of chemotherapy. At the same time, patients may have fever, dizziness, headache, dry mouth and other inflammatory reactions. Most chemotherapy patients will have such side effects.

3. Organ toxicity

Heart, kidney, liver and other organs will be poisoned after chemotherapy. It will affect the functions of various organs, from dysfunction to organ failure, which is life-threatening. This is the most important side effect of chemotherapy.

2. Side effects of chemotherapy drugs

First, damage muscle tissue. As we all know, the way we use chemotherapy drugs is basically to inject drugs into our muscle tissue, and then let the drugs enter our blood to treat diseases. But chemotherapy drugs will greatly stimulate our muscle tissue and make our muscle tissue uncomfortable. It is characterized by redness, swelling, pain and even ulceration.

Second, gastrointestinal discomfort. Like many drugs, the side effects of chemotherapy drugs include gastrointestinal discomfort. Patients who use these drugs for a long time will have a very serious impact on gastrointestinal function. In turn, it affects the body's absorption of healthy nutrition and causes malnutrition.

Third, damage hair follicles. I believe everyone is familiar with this side effect, because patients who use chemotherapy drugs generally lose their hair. The reason is that these drugs can seriously damage hair follicles and lead to abnormal hair growth. If these drugs are used for a long time, hair follicles will die and strong hair cannot be regenerated.

3. Symptoms of cancer

One of the early symptoms of cancer is rapid weight loss in a short time. If people who don't specialize in losing weight lose weight in a short time, they should be alert to whether they have cancer, such as gastric cancer and lymphoma, and they will lose weight to varying degrees.

The second early symptom of cancer is pain. For example, patients with liver cancer often feel liver pain. Women with cervical cancer or ovarian cancer also have abdominal pain. Once the body has unexplained pain, it is best to go to the hospital in time to avoid missing the best treatment opportunity.

The third early symptom of cancer, such as hematochezia or hematuria, is mistaken by many people for hematochezia caused by hemorrhoids. In fact, this may be an early sign of rectal cancer. If there is nipple bleeding, women should be alert to breast cancer.

The fourth early symptom of cancer, because cancer cells will destroy the human immune system, cancer patients often have symptoms such as colds and fever in the early stage, which are caused by the decline of human resistance. If you often have symptoms of fever and cold, you should be vigilant. Different cancers have different early symptoms, so we should be vigilant in life. Timely use of anti-tumor drugs is also very helpful for the treatment of cancer.