About
How Chemotherapy Destroys the Cancer Cells
How Chemotherapy is Administered
The Treatment Team
What to Eat Throughout Chemotherapy?
Support Treatments during Chemotherapy
Side Effects you are likely to Experience during Chemotherapy
Fatigue
Nausea and Loss of Appetite
Fever
Hair Loss
Small Mouth Ulcers
Haemorrhoid
Diarrhoea
Bleeding
Other Side Effects
Incidents which Necessitate Urgent Contact with the Oncology Team


About
Chemotherapy is the general term applied to medication treatments used in the destruction of cancer cells.Top

How Chemotherapy Destroys the Cancer Cells
Cancer cells are those cells which are derived from normal cells, however, their structures have undergone some changes in a manner which has upset their compliance with the instructions they receive from the body. In trying to destroy the cancer cells, chemotherapy medications use different characteristics of these cells and aim to minimise the harm sustained by the normal cells. Most of the time, it is administered in conjunction with several different chemotherapy medications which intend to strike the cancer simultaneously on more than one fronts.Top

How Chemotherapy is Administered

Most of the time, like serum, chemotherapy medications are administered intravenously. Following treatment, you are allowed several weeks of rest and the medications are repeated at regular intervals based on a pre-determined schedule. The majority of the patients do not need to be hospitalised while receiving chemotherapy and spend only several hours at the hospital. You may continue your daily activities with some important modifications. Throughout the course of your chemotherapy, you will be having blood tests prior to each treatment and you will be closely monitored by your specialist and nurse.Top

The Treatment Team

The treatment team consists of your specialist (oncologist), the specialised oncology nurse and you. Remember that you are the most important member of the team and try to assume an active role in your own treatment. Do not hesitate to ask questions about your disease and share all of your problems with your doctor and your nurse. The oncologist and the oncology nurse are ready to do their best to facilitate this process for you and lend social and psychological support to you and your family. Make sure you always have on you the telephone numbers of your oncologist and your oncology nurse. In emergency cases, you may always call them on their cell phones over the weekend or at night. The oncology team is aware of the importance you place on having your family members supported. Therefore, try to have your family members present when you come to see your doctor and your nurse. Sharing your burden with them will make you feel better and two pairs of ears are always better than one.Top

What to Eat Throughout Chemotherapy?

Stay away from very fatty, spicy or strong-flavoured foods such as onions and garlic. If you want to eat out, avoid raw vegetables, fruits and salad. At home too, consume such foods after a very thorough wash. It is advisable to peel fruits before you consume them. It is essential that you consume high amounts of protein for your body to be able to repair itself. As protein sources, you should go for fish first, chicken second and red meat the last. However, because it is vital that you consume protein, do not avoid red meat if you cannot eat fish or chicken. Follow a balanced diet. High amounts of vegetables and fruits are important for regular bowel movements and vitamin support. If you have any questions regarding this, consult the dieticians at our hospitals. You may also consult your doctor about your vitamin needs. However, we recommend that you avoid high doses of vitamin E and C.Top

Support Treatments during Chemotherapy

Stinging nettle, shark cartilage, cactus juice and even turtle blood may be counted among those alternative treatments resorted to by cancer patients. Some of the question marks about those alternative treatments are the following;

• Studies which objectively identify the effects of alternative treatments on cancer and compare them with scientifically proven standard treatments are almost non-existent
• Just like medications, alternative treatments have their own side effects and they are likely to increase the side effects of the chemotherapy medications administered at the same time. What is worse is that very little is known regarding the interaction between chemotherapy medications and the products used as alternative treatments.
• Not all natural things are safe. For instance, did you know that chamomile tea, in widespread use in many households and considered very safe, may cause spontaneous abortions?
• When administered in conjunction with alternative treatments, the effects of chemotherapy may be reduced.
  
  
• Because of all of these reasons, if you decide to try alternative methods in conjunction with chemotherapy, you should be sharing this with the oncology team. Your doctor will leave it up to you to choose provided that you let him explain you all the risks involved.Top

Side Effects you are likely to Experience during Chemotherapy

Different medications are used for the treatment of different cancers. Most of the time, based on individual characteristics, different medications may be used to treat the same type of cancers on different patients. Therefore, side effects may vary. The oncology team will provide you with the most accurate information regarding the side effects of the particular therapy you are receiving. Here, we will be giving information about the most frequently encountered side effects.Top

Fatigue

You may feel more tired than usual the first week following chemotherapy. This is expected. Remember that rest is like a kind of medication for the body to be able to repair itself and do not resist this fatigue. If you feel the need to do so, rise later than usual, try to sleep a little in the afternoon, take small breaks when you are working on something and learn to listen to your body. When you have had enough rest, do not neglect a little activity. You may take regular daily walks without tiring yourself out. Remaining physically active will make you feel better. Consider yourself like a sports performer preparing to win a very important game. Lead a balanced life.Top

Nausea and Loss of Appetite

Some chemotherapy medications may cause loss of appetite and nausea on the day of administration or several days later. This is expected. Furthermore, your sense of taste may temporarily change or meals may not taste as they usually do. Sometimes, this condition may last throughout the course of the treatment. Do not worry; everything will go back to normal once treatment is complete.

Several simple measures will help you throughout this challenging period:

• Do not come to chemotherapy on an empty stomach, but do not come too full either.
• Avoid spicy and fatty foods.
• If you feel nauseous for several days following chemotherapy, continue to eat light. Do not worry about eating a little less than normal for several days; you will compensate later.
• If your doctor has warned you about nausea, do not overdose on heavy foods for the first couple of days even if you feel very well.
• Stay away from your favourite foods for the first few days following treatment. If you eat while you are feeling nauseous, even your favourite foods will taste unpleasant.
• Do not "fight" nausea. Start taking your medications at the first sign of nausea, even if you are not feeling too bad at that point in time. It is a lot easier to fend off nausea at the outset than later.Top

Fever

Most chemotherapy medications temporarily reduce the number of fighter blood cells in your body responsible to fend off the microbes. When the number of those leukocyte cells decline, your defence mechanism against the microbes may be impaired. If you are receiving medications from this group, your doctor will be warning you. Because deaths from chemotherapy usually stem from incompliance to these warnings, it is of utmost importance for you to take care of the following:

• Have a thermometer available at home to take your temperature whenever you feel cold or shivery, hot or ill.
• If your temperature is 38 degrees or above, call your doctor. Even if you are feeling alright, whether it be midnight or early hours of the morning, definitely call your doctor. Because the number of your defence cells has declined, the disease may progress faster than you anticipate and early intervention with intravenous antibiotics may be of vital importance. Fever during chemotherapy is not a frequently encountered incident. Even if you are running a fever, it does not mean that you will necessarily be developing a serious disease; however, because there is no way of telling this apart in advance, you cannot afford to ignore fever.
• During treatment, do not take any pain killers which may reduce your fever without first obtaining your doctor's approval. Because most of the time fever is like a warning sign for a developing disease, fever reducing medications may mask this early warning sign. Among those medications are minoset, parol, aspirin, apranax or voltaren. Since many more medications may be included in this list, the best practise would be not to take any medication without first consulting with your doctor.
• Throughout the months that you are receiving chemotherapy, stay away from those people whom you know to be ill. For instance, if your spouse is ill, separate your beds if possible until he/she is cured. Little children in kindergartens and schools may be carriers of a variety of diseases. Therefore, avoid close contact such as kissing and cuddling them. Also, break the habit of kissing those who come to visit you.
• The best way to catch a disease is to rub your hands against your mouth, nose or eyes after having come into contact with surfaces such as door knobs. Avoid doing so and make sure to wash your hands before you eat.
• So long as it is not specifically required by your doctor, you do not need to isolate yourself from the external world or use a mask. However, you need to avoid crowded places such as public transportation vehicles.
• Vaccination of small children in the house would not pose a problem for you. However, orally administered polio vaccination would require you not to be in the same household with the child for a period of 1 month.Top

Hair Loss

Not every chemotherapy medication causes hair loss. If it is expected, your doctor will be telling you this. Treatment dependent hair loss usually starts after the third week of treatment and starts growing back about one month after the completion of treatment, sometimes even stronger and fuller.

Having your hair cut very short, or, if it is very important for you, taking cosmetic measures such as wearing a wig will work wonders for your morale. It would be a lot more demoralising for many patients to wait longer and watch their hair starting to slowly fall out. If you have decided on wearing a wig, one that closely resembles your own hair will help you feel more natural and at ease with yourself. We would also recommend bandanas, scarves or berets at the outset of your treatment. There is a sales and information point at Acibadem Kozyatagi Hospital to meet all cosmetic needs of cancer patients.

Even if you are not experiencing any hair loss, prefer strengthening shampoos; be gentle when drying your hair and use a wide-toothed comb or a soft brush. Avoid hair dyeing, sprays, gels and similar products; do not use a hair dryer.Top

Small Mouth Ulcers

Your doctor will be warning you about this if your medication is likely to have such side effects. The best way of preventing or minimising the formation of treatment dependent mouth ulcers is to wash your mouth with carbonate after every meal. Mix one tea cup full of water with one tea spoon of carbonate and wash your mouth with this mixture for 30 seconds. Also, use a soft toothbrush and refrain from using dental floss throughout your treatment if you are inclined to do so. Avoid hard or very warm foods when your mouth is particularly sensitive.Top

Haemorrhoid

If you were previously a haemorrhoid sufferer, chemotherapy may exacerbate your complaints in that area. Prevention is better than waiting and treating after it gets worse. Going to the toilet regularly is essential. Sometimes, some medications may cause constipation. If this happens, consult your doctor about a medication which will facilitate your bowel movements. Most vegetables and dried beans or chick peas are highly fibrous and likely to help you with this problem. Fruits such as apricots or apples are also likely to facilitate your bowel movements.Top

Diarrhoea

Some chemotherapy medications may cause diarrhoea. Your doctor will be warning you in advance. Sometimes, it may be better to use a preventive medication in certain cases, in other cases, it may not be a good idea. Therefore, do not take any medication without first consulting your doctor. During diarrhoea, it is essential that you compensate for all the lost fluid with large amounts of oral fluid intake. If diarrhoea is severe, for instance if you have been going to the toilet in large quantities for 6-7 times a day and you cannot drink sufficient fluid because of nausea, your body may get dehydrated. In such a case, you must immediately notify your doctor. Top

Bleeding

• Failure to stop bleeding when you cut yourself,
• Bleeding of the gums after you brush your teeth,
• Appearance of purple spots in many parts of your body without you having bumped into anything or having been subject to needle sticks,
• Soft stool of a very dark, tar black colour,
• Vomit that looks like coffee sedimentation.Top

Other Side Effects

Depending on the kind of medications administered, there may develop numbness in the hands and the feet, sun sensitivity, dryness of the skin, burning sensation in the eyes and many similar side effects. More detailed information concerning the side effects of the medications you are receiving may be found in various sources prepared for chemotherapy medications, including our website. If you experience a side effect that has not been mentioned here or have an unexpected complaint, the best thing to do is to contact your doctor without any delay. Many times, handling a problem while it is still minor may help prevent it from turning into a serious problem.Top

Incidents which Necessitate Urgent Contact with the Oncology Team

• Fever above 38 degrees,
• Bleeding on any part of the body:
  • New nose bleed
  • Purple spots on the skin
  • Blood in the urine
  • Excessive bleeding of the tooth gums
  • Non-menstrual vaginal bleeding
  • Red blood in the stool or tar coloured stool
  • Vomit that looks like coffee sedimentation or red blood in the vomit
  • Excessive blood while coughing.
• Pain and redness formed around the vein through which chemotherapy is administered,
• Pressure-like chest pain spreading throughout the arm, particularly in the case of elderly patients,
• Constipation and gas which lasts more than 3 days,
• Presence of mouth ulcers and swallowing difficulty which hinders eating and fluid intake, in particular,
• Formation of body sheds,
• Sudden onset of numbness, double vision problems and movement disturbances, loss of consciousness.
  
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