8 Adverse Side Effects of Cancer Treatment and Ways to Manage Them

Cancer treatment has improved over the years to a great extent. For many patients, their life is saved, and they go back to living a quality lifestyle without any hassles. Fortunately, medical science has discovered better means to perform procedures such as immunotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy. Despite the fact that advancements have saved many lives, the problem with the side effects of cancer treatment persists. Unfortunately, it takes a toll on an individual’s well-being.

Knowing these side effects and studying the means to manage them effectively can transform a patient’s journey during treatment. Patients can take some burden off their minds with the guidance of experienced specialists like Dr. Arvind Kumar, who is known to be an incredibly talented chest surgeon in Delhi. Patients who approach him can expect to receive the utmost care with regard to cancer treatment and effective ways to manage its effects on daily life.

Reasons Why Cancer Treatments Cause Side Effects

Cancer treatments are made to kill cancer cells that are dividing fast.  On the contrary, even healthy cells in many segments of the body are quickly dividing and are impacted. Therefore, it causes side effects, and these side effects differ based on:

• Cancer type
• Method of treatment chosen
• Time period of the treatment and dosage
• Patient’s general well-being

A cross-disciplinary approach, often headed by experts, is considered Lung Cancer Specialist in India. They help analyze, check, and manage these side effects well.

What Are The Side Effects of Cancer Treatment?

• Lethargy

Cancer-related lethargy is the biggest and most tormenting side effect that patients struggle with during treatment. This happens due to many psychological and physical factors. Speaking of physical factors, it is due to the radiation from chemotherapy and the general weakness of the illness. Coming to psychological factors, due to feeling emotionally stressed and sleep deprived, it can all the more add to the present lethargy.

The ways to manage this side effect are by engaging in light physical activity, ensuring the sleep cycle is not disturbed by maintaining a regular and healthy sleep cycle, sticking to nutritious food, and taking medical care of health concerns like an imbalance in thyroid levels or if there is existing anemia.

• Feeling Nauseated

Nausea is bound to happen while undergoing cancer treatment. Since the strong radiation and chemotherapy directly impact the abdomen or chest, it causes discomfort or pressure, resulting in vomiting.

Some of the ways to manage this side effect are by remaining hydrated, strictly keeping away from foods that could trigger the nausea, consuming short meals to avoid feeling heavy, and checking with the doctor on the right medication to take. For the most part, antiemetic medicines are given; however, getting guidance on this from an expert is more sensible.

• Hair Shedding

It is tormenting to lose hair, but that’s one common side effect of cancer. You will be able to see through the hair loss, and this happens mainly due to chemotherapy. This has an impact on one’s confidence as well.

Some of the healthy ways to manage this side effect are to protect the hair and scalp. Stick to mild shampoos only, protect your scalp from sunlight – keep it covered when out, if you have turned bald, then you can always use caps or wigs. This side effect should not stress the patient out, as hair gets back to normal after the treatment comes to an end.

• Weight Loss & Anorexia 

Since the body undergoes many changes as it is, this change of not feeling the urge to eat, a change in taste, losing or putting on weight, comes along while the patient is undergoing treatment.

The that can be done to deal with this is to include a protein-rich and calorie-filled diet, the patient should take necessary supplements, opinions of the right food should be taken from a good dietician, and nausea and mouth sores should be well managed. As a part of cancer care, the experts who are known to be the lung cancer specialists in India, irrespective of the state, provide sufficient nutritional support as well.

• Tenderness & Pain

Cancer treatment is not simple; it comes along with a lot of side effects, losing out on strength and quite a lot of pain. To begin with, what’s most painful is the fact that the patient has cancer, then the process and procedures that one goes through to improve quality of life, which has a direct impact on the nerves, and the body goes through inflammation due to the stress caused by chemotherapy or radiation.

Some of the effective ways to manage pain are to get customized pain management plans, looking at choosing the right medication to deal with this scenario, usually the doctor’s suggest analgesics and opioids. Most importantly, as one’s morale is low and the patient needs to be mentally pacified, providing psychological support is the need of the hour.

Our renowned surgeon, Dr. Arvind Kumar, focuses on comforting the patient in the possible way by emphasizing palliative as well as curative strategies.

• Breathlessness and Lung Problems

Breathlessness as a side effect is specifically for patients struggling with lung cancer. Since the lungs are at a giving-up stage, these are some of the effects or signs it tends to show: its capacity decreases, excessive fluid gets accumulated, there are several changes after surgery, and there is a lot of inflammation due to intense radiation. The treatment is quite complex, and so are its side effects.

That being said, this scenario with multiple side effects can be managed effectively with certain breathing exercises suggested by the surgeon, pulmonary rehabilitation, through oxygen therapy, and most importantly by watching over symptoms that might arise or hamper the patient’s existing condition. It is always safe to see a chest surgeon. They know the right method to manage the chest area, and when there is prompt intervention under the guidance of a specialist, life quality is automatically enhanced.

• Heightened Risk of Infections

Chemotherapy is an aggressive yet relieving process for fighting cancer. Unfortunately, with many other side effects, this therapy even adds on to one other side effect of increasing the risk of infection. This is precisely the case because the white blood cell count lessens, and the body is incapable of dealing with infections.

The good news is that there is a solution to this and the side effects can be managed if the patient can follow some hygiene rules, keep away from places filled with people as the immunity takes a toll, one should monitor if there is fever or any sign of infection and immediately get it treated. Lastly, it is essential for the patient to take vaccination and do the needful with regards to receiving prophylactic medication.

• Psychological & Emotional Consequences

Cancer has adverse effects on one’s mental and physical health. Along withstanding pain, the patient deals with an ocean of emotional challenges like depression, anxiety, fear, and exhaustion. Each of these symptoms is seen in a lot of patients, and these need to be addressed immediately when the patient goes through it.

To manage this side effect, the patient needs to see a good counsellor or psychotherapist who can hold their hand and guide them through ways to stay motivated and positive to fight back cancer. Indulging with support groups who have immense knowledge on the subject of stress and anxiety relief can comfort the patient, relaxation techniques and mindfulness can help the patient relax on their own, and to be able to openly communicate feelings and fears with family members or counsellors is necessary for a healthy outlet.

Even the lung cancer specialists in India can address emotional and psychological distress as they deal with so many patients throughout their entire career journey. What they usually do is address mental problems along with taking care of the treatment.

Team Managing Side Effects

The right way to manage cancer treatment side effects is through a good channel of coordination among many specialists and experts, such as chest surgeons, psychologists, radiologists, oncologists, pulmonologists, and nutritionists, so that all the side effects can be analyzed and addressed at the right time.

Conclusion

Cancer treatment is a long process that is not limited to destroying the disease; it even requires side effects to be managed well alongside and effectively improving life quality.  When every patient has the hand and skill of good specialists who work as a team to manage all the challenging side effects, the journey of dealing with cancer becomes simpler for the patient.

Every patient who chooses us is sure to receive guidance and highly precise treatment from our top doctor, Arvind Kumar. He has been a good and experienced chest surgeon in the industry for a while now and has catered to many patients comprehensively and with utmost dedication.

It is never too late until you meet the lung cancer specialist in India to help change your life for the better by giving the patient quality time, right medical advice, and hope to deal with the challenge.