Side effects of prostate cancer chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the adjuvant treatments for prostate cancer. Common drugs include cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cisplatin, etc. Common chemotherapy toxicity and adverse reactions include the following 7 aspects:

1. Chemotherapy drugs can cause liver damage

Chemotherapy for prostate cancer can cause varying degrees of liver damage, causing patients to experience elevated alanine aminotransferase, elevated bilirubin, liver enlargement, liver pain, jaundice, etc. Severe cases can also cause cirrhosis, coagulation disorders, etc. Therefore, liver function should be dynamically monitored during chemotherapy.

2. Renal toxicity

The toxic effects and adverse reactions of the urinary system caused by prostate cancer chemotherapy are mainly manifested as proteinuria, oliguria or anuria, hematuria, etc. In order to reduce renal toxicity, patients are advised to drink more water during chemotherapy and given intravenous fluids to keep the urine volume above 2500ml.

3. Cardiotoxicity

The cardiotoxicity of prostate cancer can manifest as abnormal electrocardiograms in patients, and in severe cases, heart failure may occur. Therefore, the medication process should be closely monitored, and if abnormalities are found, symptomatic treatment or medication should be discontinued in a timely manner.

4. Lung toxicity

The toxic effects and adverse reactions of prostate cancer chemotherapy on the respiratory system are mainly manifested as acute chemical pneumonia and chronic pulmonary fibrosis, and even respiratory failure.

5. Inhibit the bone marrow hematopoietic system

Chemotherapy drugs inhibit the bone marrow hematopoietic system, which mainly manifests as a decrease in white blood cells and platelets. Therefore, a blood test should be done before each chemotherapy. When the white blood cell count is lower than 2.5×109/L and the platelet count is lower than 50×109/L, chemotherapy should be stopped and drugs to increase white blood cells should be given.

6. Impact on fertility

Some drugs used in prostate cancer chemotherapy can affect fertility and cause teratogenesis, so they should be contraindicated for young patients.

7. Thrombophlebitis

When chemotherapy drugs are given by intravenous injection, careless leakage of the drug solution can cause local tissue necrosis and thrombophlebitis. In addition, patients will also experience symptoms such as hair loss and gastrointestinal reactions, which can be treated symptomatically. After chemotherapy is stopped, the symptoms can usually be relieved on their own.