| Chemotherapy Drugs |
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| Common Side Effects |
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Chemotherapy is a regimen consisting of multiple drugs. An oncologist chooses a blend of drugs, appropriate to the type of primary cancer. These drugs are indeed highly toxic. They attack rapidly dividing cells, typical of cancer cells. The human body has many types of rapidly dividing cells, that ensure normal health is maintained. Chemotherapy affects both the cancer cells and the healthy cells. This causes a number of side effects.
In the table below, I show the common side effects of the chemical palette selected to treat my Stage IV colon cancer, metastasized to the liver. The table shows which side effects are associated with a particular drug, along with the particular effect that I have experienced. |
| Table Legend |
| AVA = Avastin; OXA = Oxaliplatin; 5FU = 5 Fluorouracil; DEC = Decadron |
| Dave = Side Effects that I experience. |
| Effect | Dave | AVA | OXA | 5FU | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Distension | Y | X | |||
| Abdominal Pain | Y | X | X | X | |
| Anorexia | Y | X | X | ||
| Asthenia | Y | X | |||
| Blurred Vision | Y | X | X | ||
| Brittle Finger Nails | Y | X | |||
| Confusion | Y | X | |||
| Congestive Heart Failure | X | X | |||
| Constipation | Y | X | |||
| Decreased Platelet Count | Y | X | X | ||
| Diarrhea | Y | X | X | X | |
| Difficulty Breathing | X | X | |||
| Difficulty Swallowing | Y | X | |||
| Difficulty Walking | Y | X | |||
| Dizziness | Y | X | X | ||
| Elevated Blood Glucose | Y | X | |||
| Dyspnea (irregular breathing) | X | ||||
| Exfoliative Dermatitus | X | ||||
| Fatigue | Y | X | X | ||
| Fluid Retention | Y | X | |||
| Gastro-intestinal Bleeding | Y | X | X | ||
| Gritty Eyes | Y | X | |||
| Hair Loss | X | ||||
| Headache | Y | X | X | ||
| Heart Attack | X | ||||
| Hypertension | Y | X | X | ||
| Impaired Wound Healing | Y | X | |||
| Itching | X | ||||
| Long Bone Fractures | X | ||||
| Loss of Muscle Mass | Y | X | |||
| Low Red Blood Cell Count | Y | X | |||
| Low White Blood Cell Count | Y | X | X | ||
| Mouth and Throat Ulcers | Y | X | X | ||
| Mouth Sores | Y | X | X | X | |
| Muscle Weakness | Y | X | |||
| Nausea | Y | X | X | X | |
| Nose Bleeds (epistaxis) | Y | X | |||
| Numbness in Feet | Y | X | |||
| Numbness in Hands | Y | X | |||
| Numbness of Lips | Y | X | |||
| Pancreatitus | X | ||||
| Poor Tolerance to Cold Temperatures | Y | X | |||
| Rash | X | X | |||
| Skin Damage from Sunlight | X | ||||
| Sore Feet | X | ||||
| Sore Hands | X | ||||
| Sudden Cough | Y | X | |||
| Suppressed Immune System | X | ||||
| Swollen Lips | Y | X | |||
| Swollen Tongue | Y | X | |||
| Tendon Rupture | X | ||||
| Upper Respiratory Infection | Y | X | |||
| Vomiting | X | X | X | X | |
| Watery Eyes | X |
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