Side effects

Chemotherapy aim is to kill tumor cells. To do this, it identifies cells dividing fast and without stop (two essential characteristics of cancer cells).

However, even in adults - whose body has stopped growing - there are normal cells that still multiply and divide rapidly, such as those in the:

• Bone marrow (responsible for producing all the cells of the blood, including white and red blood cells),
• Roots of the hair,
• Nails,
• The epithelia of the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestine.

This means that, if you are having chemotherapy, there is a chance that these cells will also be affected causing low blood cell counts, hair thinning or weakening, nail changes, vomiting, or diarrhea.

These effects are supposed to be temporary since your normal cells have a good recovery capacity.

The side effects that will affect you in particular, depend on the treatment you are receiving. For example, not all chemicals cause hair loss.

Talk to your doctor and find out what side effects to expect and how to better deal with them.

In the  side effects  section, you can check our brochures on those most commonly felt during cancer treatments.