Is chemotherapy really worth it? It’s a question many people ask and rightly so. While some believe it’s absolutely necessary – sometimes it is – we often hear devastating stories of how it completely alters someone’s life and not for the better. One team of researchers from Australia, using data from both their country and the USA, even found that only 2% of cancer patients live more than five years after chemo treatments. So, it makes you wonder what will truly lead to the highest quality of life: chemotherapy or no chemotherapy?
But First, What Is Chemotherapy?
When it comes down to it, cancer treatments encompass a wide range of options. To name some, there is surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, stem cell transplants, precision medicine, and chemotherapy.[1] There is no saying which alternative is better than the other because different people means different treatments. If someone chooses chemotherapy, whether or not it’s in combination with other treatments, oncologists will use a drug or group of drugs to hopefully do two things: 1) ease cancer symptoms by shrinking painful tumors and 2) slowing or stopping tumor growth to cure the cancer.[2] Part of the reason chemo is so troubling is because it’s a systemic therapy, which means it can affect your cells throughout your entire body as opposed to targeted body parts or organs. Not only does it kill cancer cells, but every white cell in its path. This is why chemotherapy patients can experience a wide range of symptoms from head to toe, inside and out.
What Are Common Side Effects of Chemotherapy?
The extent to which cancer patients will experience these symptoms will vary, but can include:[3]
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Mouth sores
- Pain
- Constipation
- Easy bruising
14 More Side Effects of Chemotherapy You Probably Didn’t Know About
When 41-year-old cancer survivor Cindy Lupica was going through chemotherapy for her gestational trophoblastic tumor, she learned “first-hand the nastiness and depth of chemo side effects.” In her piece for I Had Cancer, Cindy shares surprising chemo side effects of which the average person is not aware. “Depending on the type of chemo, the length and the strength, some [side effects] may vary from person to person,” says Cindy.[4] “But below I’ve written out a list of some of the side effects that you may want to be prepared for, based on my experience.”
- Neuropathy
- Neutropenia
- Anemia
- Premature Menopause or Infertility
- Bone Pain
- Organ Damage
- Hearing Loss
- Vision Loss
- Oral Health Decline
- Weight Loss or Gain
- Severe Headaches and Jaw Soreness
- Changes in Ability to Taste or Smell
