Because chemotherapy is myelosuppressive, a patient like Mrs. Cox should have a complete blood cell count two to three times per week during treatment. Radiation can also cause skin breakdown in the radiation field and bone marrow suppression if the iliac crests or other large marrow-storing bones are in the radiation field. Adverse effects of chromic phosphate include small-bowel obstruction and bowel stenosis. Researchers are studying how biologic agents such as interleukins and interferons, which stimulate the patient's immune system to attack tumor cells, can be used to treat ovarian cancer. Interleukins and interferons are proteins produced by the body when immune-system cells interact with antigens or foreign substances.
Interleukins have antitumor activity and can selectively lyse tumor cells.
Interferons interfere with tumor-cell replication and increase the effectiveness of the body's natural killer cells. Supporting your patient After her surgery, Mrs. Cox had episodes of shortness of breath and tachycardia. Physical changes such as an ostomy, hair loss, and incisional scars can affect a woman's body image and cause depression and social withdrawal. By recognizing and acknowledging your patient's concerns about her body image, you can help her grieve and resolve her losses. You can provide encouragement through support networks at the hospital, in the community, or in the patient's family.