Complications vary depending on the type of medications used. There are hundreds of medications used for chemotherapy. Each medication will have a specific set of side effects. Many individuals experience only mild problems related to the therapy. Most side effects are temporary and resolve when treatment ends.
Few medications cause permanent problems.
In general, chemotherapy tends to also effect normal body tissues like the bone marrow and hair. These similar tissues are very active. Active tissue, normal, and cancerous are sensitive to chemotherapy. Normal tissue is usually able to completely recover from the effects of chemotherapy. Cancerous tissue is usually not able to recover.