Cells that divide rapidly include both the targeted cancer cells and healthy cells in the blood, digestive tract, and hair follicles. Depending on which anticancer drugs a patient receives, he or she may experience symptoms when healthy cells are damaged along with the cancer cells. If healthy blood cells are destroyed by chemotherapy, the patient may be more susceptible to infections, bruising or bleeding, and fatigue. When cells in the hair roots or digestive tract are affected by anticancer drugs, the patient may have hair loss, nausea, vomiting, or mouth sores. Not all chemotherapy patients develop all of these side effects, and the symptoms usually go away during the recovery period or after the treatments are done.
Doctors can prescribe medicines and other treatments to control most of the symptoms.
Radiation therapy may also cause a decrease in the number of white blood cells that help protect the body against infection. Most of these side effects can be treated or controlled and in most cases they are not permanent. If surgery to remove the tumor is not possible, a child may undergo liver transplantation to remove the diseased liver and replace it with a healthy one from a donor. This information is not intended to be a substitute for individual medical advice in diagnosing or treating a health problem. Please consult with your health care provider about your health care concerns.