Learning About Chemotherapy Side Effects and Safety

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill cancer cells. It's often called "chemo." Chemo may slow cancer growth, stop cancer from spreading, or help get rid of the cancer.

Chemo can be given at different locations, such as a hospital, a doctor's office, or a clinic. Sometimes chemo treatments may be done at home.

You may get chemo in "cycles." This means that you get a number of treatments over a set period of time. Then you take a break before you start again.

Chemo helps to treat many kinds of cancer. But it can also affect healthy cells along with the cancer cells. This is why some types of chemo cause side effects, like nausea, losing your hair, or feeling tired.

What are the side effects of chemotherapy?

Side effects depend on which medicines you take, how much you take, and how the medicines affect you. Your doctor can tell you what to expect when you take these medicines. Some of them may cause symptoms such as:

• Fatigue.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• A rash.
• Hair loss.
• Pain or tingling in your hands or the soles of your feet.

Chemo treatment can be hard. It can keep you from doing the things you were doing every day, like going to work or school. But keep in mind that most side effects don't last. They will go away after you finish the treatment.

And many side effects can be managed with medicine. Your doctor will tell you what to do if you have side effects. You'll also learn which ones you need to tell your doctor about right away.

How can you use chemotherapy safely?

Chemo medicines can stay in your body fluids (vomit, urine, or stool) for several days. These medicines contain strong chemicals, so they can be harmful if someone touches waste from your body.

If you take chemo at home, any of your clothes or bed linens or cloth diapers that have medicine or body fluids on them need to be handled separately from other laundry. Have caregivers use gloves when they wash your bed linens and clothes. Bed linens and cloth diapers should be machine washed twice in hot water, using regular detergent. Keep the medicine out of the reach of children.

When using the bathroom during the first 48 hours after each treatment:

• Sit on the toilet seat to prevent splashing.
• Put the toilet lid down before you flush.
• Always flush twice after you use the toilet.

Couples should use a condom during sex while a partner is getting chemo treatments and for several days after treatment ends.