Side Effects of Breast Cancer

With the various possible treatments available for cancer treatments, the possibility of side effects cannot be overlooked. It has been seen that with radiation therapy the healthy cells also gets destroyed along with the cancerous cells. The kind of side effects and the extent of the side effect also depend on the type of treatment done, its course and also the dosage.

Side effects of Surgery- the effect of any kind of surgery largely depends on the location of the tumor apart from other factors. It’s true that the patient may feel discomfort in the initial days after surgery. The pain is managed by pain killers. Also the recovery period may vary between one patient to the other.

Side effects of chemotherapy- the main aim of chemotherapy is to destroy the cancer cells that divide speedily. But the other healthy cells of the blood, the digestive tract and the cells of the hair follicles are aloes targeted. Thus the healthy cells also come under the impact of the chemotherapy. Thus it can lead to side effects in form of infection, tiredness, hair loss, sores or ulcers in mouth etc. but all the chemotherapy patients may not develop these symptoms. The problem evades away after the treatment is stopped or during the recovery period. Such symptoms can be controlled by medications under prescription.

One of the most common problem or side effect of chemotherapy is it lowers the blood count. Chemotherapy can further diminish the bone marrow function. This can in turn lead to anemia, low white blood cells and low blood platelets.

Side effects of radiation- with radiation the patient may feel frequently tired. The skin may develop rash or sore especially in the treated area. The patient may also loose his/her appetite.

It has been noted that in any kind of cancer treatment the patient looses their appetite. They may experience, vomiting, dizziness, nausea, cankers etc. whatever may be the treatment the side effects associated with cancer cannot be overlooked.