Cancer patients often have to contend with physical and mental changes due to their disease, the treatments used to cure or control it or both.  Side effects can range from simply irritating to debilitating or life threatening and requiring a change in treatment options.   It’s important that you talk to your oncology team about side effects. In most instances, steps can be taken to control these side effects or make coping with them more manageable.  

• Acne  

• Anemia

• Breathing problems  

• Caregivers note

• Chills and Fever

• Constipation

• Dehydration

• Diarrhea

• Dizziness

• Eating problems

• Fatigue

• Anemia (low red blood cell counts)

• Graft-versus-host disease (transplant patients)

• Hair loss

• Hypercalcemia

• Lymphedema - swelling

• Mouth Sores  

• Nails

• Nausea and vomiting

• Neutropenia

• Pain - link to the cancerpage Pain Information Center

• Skin  - itching, crawling, tingling, burning, color changes

• Swelling - Lymphedema

• Taste changes

• Thrombocytopenia

Resources used in developing this center include: 

• Fatigue by Lillian M. Nail, PhD, RN, FAAN
• National Cancer Institute
• National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse  
• The National Library of Medicine's MEDLINEplus
• The National Guidelines Clearinghouse
• Oncology News International, Vol 7, No 9 (September 1998)

• Handbook for Mortals, Lynn and Harrold, Oxford University Press, 1999.

• Mind Body and Soul – A Guide to Living With Cancer, Dahm, Taylor Hill Publishing,  2000.
• NCCN Proceedings. November 1999; 91-97