What is the most life threatening side effect of chemotherapy?

Shortness of breath or trouble breathing (If you're having trouble breathing call 911 first.)

What is the most serious complication of chemotherapy?

Infections. Chemotherapy can reduce your body's ability to fight infection. This makes you more likely to get infections that could make you seriously ill.

What are the worse side effects of chemotherapy?

But for some people, chemotherapy can cause long term changes in the body. Some of these changes may happen months or many years after the treatment has finished. Late side effects can include early menopause, infertility, changes to feeling in your hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy) and heart and lung problems.

Can chemotherapy be life threatening?

Anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions are among the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Reactions range from mild infusion reactions such as itching and hypertension to severe and potentially life-threatening.

What is the most common complication of chemotherapy that patients experience?

The most common chemotherapy-induced side effects are nausea and vomiting, fatigue, decreased appetite, changes in taste, hair loss, dry mouth, and constipation.

What are the Side Effects of Chemotherapy for Women with Gynecological Cancer?

What organ is most affected by chemotherapy?

What do you watch out during chemo?

Fever may be the only sign that you have an infection, and an infection during chemotherapy can be life-threatening. You should take your temperature any time you feel warm, flushed, chilled, or not well. Call your doctor immediately if you have a temperature of 100.4ºF (38ºC) or higher.

Can chemo cause sudden death?

TLS was first described in Burkitt lymphoma patients who died suddenly after chemotherapy. TLS usually occurs less than 72 hours after chemotherapy in patients with leukemia and lymphoma, but new therapeutic regimens/methods may alter the time frame of onset of TLS.

Is chemo worth the side effects?

If there's a high likelihood that chemotherapy may get rid of your cancer, that benefit may outweigh possible side effects. Some patients say they actually feel better and have more energy soon after starting chemotherapy because the symptoms of their cancer regress.

What is the life expectancy after chemotherapy?

During the 3 decades, the proportion of survivors treated with chemotherapy alone increased from 18% in 1970-1979 to 54% in 1990-1999, and the life expectancy gap in this chemotherapy-alone group decreased from 11.0 years (95% UI, 9.0-13.1 years) to 6.0 years (95% UI, 4.5-7.6 years).

How long are you toxic after chemotherapy?

It generally takes about 48 to 72 hours for your body to break down and/or get rid of most chemo drugs. But it's important to know that each chemo drug is excreted or passed through the body a bit differently.

What is the most intense chemotherapy?

Doxorubicin is considered one of the strongest chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer ever invented. It can kill cancer cells at every point in their life cycle, and it's used to treat a wide variety of cancers, not just breast cancer. Doxorubicin is also known as “The Red Devil” because it is a clear bright red color.

Which two are common problems in patient receiving chemotherapy?

Some of the common side effects of chemotherapy include: fatigue. hair loss. bruising and bleeding.

Can you have a severe reaction to chemo?

These reactions range from mild to life-threatening and are difficult to predict. Symptoms include flushing, nausea, difficulty breathing, back pain, hypotension and tachycardia. Hypersensitivity is commonly encountered owing to the increasing use of chemotherapy drugs in clinical practice.

Which cancers have the highest death rate?

Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths with 130,180 people expected to die from this disease. That is nearly three times the 52,580 deaths due to colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest cancer, causing 49,830 deaths.

Do most people survive chemotherapy?

Rates of overall survival were also very similar between the 2 groups. Five years after treatment, the rate of overall survival was 98.1% for those who had chemo and 98.0% for those who did not. Nine years after treatment, the rate of overall survival was 93.8% for those who had chemo and 93.9% for those who did not.

Can you live a normal life while on chemo?

Some people find they can lead an almost normal life during chemotherapy. But others find everyday life more difficult. You may feel unwell during and shortly after each treatment but recover quickly between treatments. You may be able to get back to your usual activities as you begin to feel better.

How can I protect my heart from chemo?

Being as fit and as well as possible before you start chemo is important. You can help yourself by eating well, being active, and making sure your blood pressure and cholesterol are well controlled, as well as diabetes if you have it. For most people, that means taking your medicines as prescribed.

Can chemo mess up your heart?

Yes, some conventional chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer can increase your risk of heart problems. Heart problems can also happen with newer targeted therapy drugs and with radiation therapy.

What can chemo do to your heart?

Not only can people develop cancer treatment-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD)—the decreased ability of the left ventricle to pump blood effectively, which may lead to heart failure—they can also develop any number of other heart problems including hypertension, arrhythmia, inflammation of the pericardium (the sac- ...

What should you not do during chemotherapy?

Can you touch someone after chemo?

If your cancer treatment includes taking oral chemotherapy, there are important safety tips you and your caregiver should follow. It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.

What is the fastest way to recover from chemotherapy?