Potential Side Effects of Chemotherapy for a Brain Tumor

Side effects of chemotherapy depend on the type and amount of drugs you take and the length of your treatment. Because chemotherapy drugs kill rapidly dividing cells, the drugs can damage healthy cells that divide quickly, such as blood cells or cells of the intestinal tract, as well. This can result in low white blood cell numbers, which may increase your risk of infection.

Platelets help the blood to clot. If your platelet count is low, you may bruise or bleed easily. Fatigue is also possible because of a lack of red blood cells, leading to anemia.

You may want to ask your doctor or nurse in advance about the specific side effects of the chemotherapy drugs and how best to prevent or manage them. These are some other side effects of chemotherapy.

• Hair loss

• Loss of appetite

• Mouth sores

• Nausea and vomiting

Some chemotherapy drugs also affect fertility and cause damage to the lungs or nerves. The medical oncologist and chemotherapy nurse will review the drugs and their side effects.

Most of these side effects go away after treatment is complete. Your doctor may prescribe drugs to reduce the side effects so that you can recover from them more quickly.