Chemotherapy refers to the treatment of a disease by means of chemicals meant to kill cells, typically cells of micro-organisms or cancer. This treatment works by attacking and killing cells which divide very quickly as cancer cells do. Unfortunately, chemotherapy destroys other cells with a rapid division speed which is normal for the body functions; this is the case with the cells in the digestive tract, hair follicles and bone marrow.

Hence, the chemotherapy effects usually damage these areas. The most frequent adverse reactions that occur during and after chemotherapy include hair loss, the inflammation of the soft membranes in the digestive tract or mucositis and the decrease of the blood cells production, called myelosupression.

Chemotherapy effects or side effects can classified according to the extent of the adverse reactions into long and short term categories. Negative reactions to the treatment are normal, given the fact that powerful chemicals do disturb the functions of the system. sometimes chemotherapy effects are taken for cancer symptoms. Symptoms are specific to the disease in fact, while the side effects represent natural adverse reactions to a chemical intervention in the body. Anyway, various chemotherapy drugs have different short term and long term side effects; not all chemotherapy drugs lead to every side effect.

In more general terms, chemotherapy harms those cells that divide at a quicker pace. The mouth, intestines, skin, hair, bone marrow (the spongy material that fills your bones and produces new blood cells) are mainly affected by chemotherapy. Since hair is growing all the time, the skin is constantly renewing itself and the lining of the mouth and digestive system have the same dynamics, then, the cells of all these body tissues must constantly divide to produce a steady supply of new cells. And, unfortunately, it is due to this division process that the chemotherapy drugs attack proper functioning body parts.

Chemotherapy effects and adverse reactions also vary from one patient to another. The intensity of the experience, and their evolution during the treatment depend on many various factors. These elements include the period during which the drug has been taken, the dose or amount of drug, the administration mode, the patient’s overall health condition, as well as the combined use of chemotherapy medication and other remedies. Some chemotherapy effects represent serious medical conditions which must be dealt with; others, although upsetting, are not necessarily a major threat to the patient’s health. It is also relevant to discuss the effects of chemotherapy with the doctor and the contact person at the treating center where the patient is given the treatment.

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