Overview

Chemotherapy describes the use of drugs in order to destroy cancer cells.

It utilizes the fact that cancer cells undergo division faster than normal cells.

The action of chemotherapeutic agents varies with different classes of medication available and each class will have specific side effect profiles.

Side effects

Classical side effects to be aware of include:

• Anthracyclines (doxorubicin, daunorubicin) and anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibodies (e.g. Herceptin) cause cardiomyopathy.
• Platinum agents (cisplatin, carboplatin) cause peripheral neuropathy and sensorineural hearing loss.
• Cyclophosphamides lead to haemorrhagic cystitis and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
• Tamoxifen increases the risk of endometrial cancer
• Bleomycin can cause lung fibrosis
• Cisplatin has a risk of ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity
• Cytarabine can cause ataxia