CISN - Recently Diagnosed Cancer - Side Effects

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Side Effects of Treatment


Chemotherapy

High doses of, or repeated exposure to, chemotherapy impacts organs and other systems of the body, which may result in both early and late onset side effects. The amount of time that these side effects last depends on many factors.

Chemotherapy drugs often cause different effects. Some examples of potential side effects from chemotherapy include the following:

  • Fatigue

  • Early or premature menopause

  • Infertility

  • Changes to the heart

  • Reduced lung capacity with difficulty breathing

  • Kidney and urinary problems

  • Neuropathy (numbness, tingling and other sensations in certain areas of the body, especially the hands and feet)

  • Muscle weakness

  • Cognitive problems such as memory loss or inability to focus

  • Osteoporosis

  • Changes in texture and appearance of hair and nails

  • Secondary cancers

What is chemobrain?

According to the American Cancer Society, the medical community refers to chemobrain as “mild cognitive impairment” and defines it as the inability to remember certain things, complete certain tasks, or learn new skills.

Recent research indicates that some cancer drugs cause changes in the brain leading to mental and emotional changes in cancer patients.

Imaging tests evaluating chemobrain in patients have shown smaller brain size in the areas of the brain that are part of memory, planning, putting thoughts into action, monitoring thought processes and behavior, and inhibition.

Patients with chemobrain report some of the following experiences.

  • Memory lapses 
  • Trouble concentrating 
  • Forgetting details 
  • Challenges with multitasking  
  • Speech challenges remembering common words

These effects are short-term in some patients and longer-term in others.

We recommend that you communicate with your cancer doctor about any concerns related to chemobrain.

Physical Change Side Effects

Physical changes occur after cancer treatments depending upon the procedure and location of disease. Wounds and other physical changes take time to heal as well as integrate into the body. You may go through many stages of change in the aftermath of cancer treatments.

Any physical changes may influence other areas in life such as intimacy, sexuality, and fertility.

 

How do you cope with body changes? The following is a short list of strategies.

  • Mourn your losses. They are real, and you have a right to grieve.


  • Try to focus on the ways that coping with cancer has made you stronger, wiser, and more realistic.


  • Look for new ways to enhance your appearance. A new haircut, hair color, makeup, or clothing may give you a lift.


  • Try to recognize that you are more than your cancer. Know that you have worth - no matter how you look or what happens to you in life.


  • Turn to your family, friends and medical team for support

 

 

Fertility Side Effects

Cancer and its treatment may cause temporary or permanent infertility. Talking with your health care team before treatments is best. There are still options for cancer survivors that may experience infertility from cancer and its treatments.

The medical community has become more educated in recent years about fertility issues for cancer patients. People affected by cancer need to proactively talk with their health care providers about fertility issues, including identifying prevention strategies for preserving fertility.


Fertility Issues For Women

For women, infertility means not being able to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy, usually after you have been trying for over a year.

What treatments increase infertility risk for female cancer survivors?
  • Treatment or surgery that directly affects your reproductive organs


  • Surgery that removes the uterus, tubes or ovary


  • Radiation treatment directed to cancer in the abdomen


  • Chemotherapy agents (may reduce the number of eggs in ovaries or cause early menopause).
  

CISN Tip:

Please visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s website for a table of information about chemotherapy agents impacting fertility.
What are the potential symptoms of female infertility?
  • Irregular menstrual cycles or menstrual cycles without ovulation

  • Hot flashes or night sweats

  • Pain during sex

  • Inability to become pregnant

  • Several miscarriages

Female cancer survivors often stop menstruating during treatment. This does not translate to infertility. Menstruation should return within six months after treatment completion. If menstruation does not return within one year, contact your doctor. It may not be related to fertility, but another physical problem.

Some survivors become pregnant, but cannot carry a baby to full term. Again, this may not be due to cancer treatment.

Tests are necessary for women experiencing premature or immediate menopause. Infertility can happen after menopause from damage to eggs from treatments. The Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) measurement is one test used to see if women are in menopause. If FSH levels are high, donor eggs may be necessary for pregnancy.

The ovarian tubes and uterus can be checked to determine whether there is damage to these organs that might cause infertility. Damage to ovaries occurs from pelvic or abdominal surgery for cancer.

 

CISN Tips:

Be sure to discuss this topic with your doctor. Today there are several strategies you might use:

  • Protect your ovaries so that you may not have to face infertility problems
  • You may be able to bank eggs that can be used in the future

Fertility Issues For Men

For men, infertility means not being able to produce healthy sperm or to ejaculate sperm.

What cancers in men have the highest risk for infertility?

  • Survivors of testicular cancer

Fertility may be poor in the two years before testicular cancer is found. Although only 1 to 3 percent of men with testicular cancer get cancer in both testicles, the cancer-free testicle often is not totally normal.

  • Men newly-diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma or leukemia

The recent surgery, fever or physical stress these survivors can experience can often affect their semen quality.


What treatments increase infertility risk for male cancer survivors?
  • Radiation
    • May slow down or stop sperm cell production
    • Total body irradiation causes permanent infertility
    • Radiation to the part of the brain that controls hormone production can sometimes prevent the hormone messages from reaching the testicles
  • Chemotherapy
    • Please visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s website for more information about chemotherapy agents impacting fertility.
  • Surgeries
    • Radical surgeries for prostate or bladder cancer removes glands involved in semen production and cut the pathways for sperm cells to be included in semen

What are the symptoms of male infertility?

Men usually do not have any symptoms of infertility unless they have dry orgasms. Most men do not realize that they are infertile until they have a semen analysis and discover that their semen quality is low. Please visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s website for more information about these tests.

 

CISN Tips:

Discuss sperm banking with your doctor prior to undergoing cancer treatment.

The following organizations have more information on fertility.
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