Chemo can work very well to treat cancer. But while these medicines kill cancer cells, they can also damage healthy cells. The damage to healthy cells causes side effects. Your child's cancer doctor (oncologist) will monitor your child very closely for side effects. They will prescribe medicines or other treatments and give you instructions to help lessen the side effects.
There are many chemo medicines. Some are used more often to treat cancer in children. Side effects of chemo vary by the dosage and medicine used.
Side effects of busulfan (given by mouth or IV) can include:
- Abnormal heart beat, heart failure
- Confusion, dizziness, headache, fever, feeling tired, seizures
- Hair loss (alopecia), acne, rash, itchiness
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver problems
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Joint and muscle pain
- Trouble breathing, bleeding, asthma, collapsed lung
- Allergic reaction
- Infections
Side effects of carboplatin (given by IV) can include:
- Damage to nervous system (neurotoxicity)
- Damage to hearing (ototoxicity)
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Belly (abdominal pain), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, mouth inflammation (mucositis)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression) or bleeding
- Severe allergic-type reaction
- Infection
Side effects of cisplatin (given by IV) can include:
- Damage to nervous system (neurotoxicity)
- Damage to hearing (ototoxicity)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Severe damage to kidneys (renal toxicity)
- Severe allergic-type reaction
Side effects of cyclophosphamide (given by mouth or IV) can include:
- Feeling tired
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth inflammation (mucositis)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Bladder damage (bladder toxicity)
- Reproductive hormone changes
- Infections
Side effects of cytarabine (given by IV or into the spinal canal) can include:
- Infection of sac surrounding heart (pericarditis)
- Damage to nervous system (neurotoxicity)
- Eye inflammation (conjunctivitis)
- Fever, headache, tiredness
- Hair loss (alopecia), rash, skin ulcers, itchiness
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Mouth sores
- Liver problems
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Kidney problems
- Trouble breathing (dyspnea)
- Severe allergic-type reaction
- Severe infection (sepsis)
Side effects of daunorubicin or doxorubicin (given by IV) can include:
- Damage to heart muscle (myocardial toxicity)
- Heart failure
- Feeling tired
- Severe local tissue injury
- Decreased blood supply to tissue (necrosis) at IV site
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth inflammation (mucositis)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Other cancers
Side effects of etoposide or teniposide (given by IV) can include:
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Problems with the nerves in the arms and legs (peripheral neuropathy)
- Feeling tired
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, inflammation in mouth (mucositis),
- Damage to liver (hepatotoxicity)
- Severe decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Severe allergic-type reaction
Side effects of hydroxyurea (given by mouth) can include:
- Dizziness
- Feeling tired
- Headache
- Seizures
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Skin ulcers, nail changes, redness (erythema), death of tissue (gangrene)
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, inflammation in mouth (mucositis)
- Liver failure
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Cancer affecting white blood cells (leukemia)
- Asthma
- Trouble breathing (dyspnea)
Side effects of L-asparaginase (given by IV or as an injection) can include:
- Pain, swelling redness
- IV may cause itchiness, rash
- Trouble breathing (dyspnea)
- Tightening of airway (bronchospasm)
- Severe allergic-type reaction
Side effects of mercaptopurine (given by mouth) can include:
- Fever
- Feeling tired
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Rash
- Belly (abdominal) pain
- Inflammation in mouth (mucositis)
- Liver damage (hepatotoxicity)
- Gallbladder and pancreas problems
- Damage to kidneys (renal toxicity)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Damage to lungs (pulmonary fibrosis)
- Infections
Side effects of methotrexate (given by mouth, IV, injection, or into the spinal canal) can include:
- Blood clots (thromboses)
- Fluid around heart (pericardial effusion)
- Infection of sac surrounding heart (pericarditis)
- Severe damage to nervous system (neurotoxicity)
- Dizziness, feeling tired, headache
- Hair loss (alopecia), acne, rash, ulcers, itchiness
- Inflammation of bowel (enteritis), bleeding, nausea, vomiting, inflammation of mouth (mucositis)
- Liver failure, cirrhosis of liver
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Severe kidney disease, renal failure
- Blood in urine (hematuria)
- Pain with or trouble urinating (dysuria)
- Fertility problems
- Bleeding
- Joint and muscle pain
- Severe allergic-type reaction
- Cancer of lymphatic system (lymphoma), infections, eye problems
Side effects of thioguanine (given by mouth) can include:
- Nausea, vomiting
- Decreased blood supply to intestines (intestinal necrosis), hole in intestines (intestinal perforation)
- Decreased blood supply to liver (hepatic necrosis)
- Damage to liver (hepatotoxicity)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Infections
Side effects of thiotepa (given by IV) can include:
- Dizziness, feeling tired, fever, headache
- Hair loss (alopecia), rash, skin inflammation (dermatitis), pain at site of IV
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting diarrhea
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression), bleeding
- Pain with or trouble urinating (dysuria)
- Asthma
- Bleeding
- Severe allergic-like reaction
Side effects of topotecan (given by mouth or IV) can include:
- Feeling tired
- Fever, headache, pain
- Hair loss (alopecia), rash
- Belly (abdominal) pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Trouble breathing (dyspnea), pneumonia
- Severe allergic-like reaction
- Infections
Side effects of vincristine or vinblastine (given by IV) can include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Feeling tired
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Trouble having bowel movements (constipation)
- Decrease in blood cell counts (myelosuppression)
- Bone and jaw pain
- Tumor pain