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Complications of chemotherapy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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The principle complication of chemotherapy is bone marrow suppression especially in the treatment of AML. During induction, there may be a temporary exacerbation of bleeding. Others complications include:

  • diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting
  • oral ulceration
  • alopecia
  • tumour lysis syndrome
  • side effects related to particular drugs:
    • neuropathy from vincristine
    • cardiotoxicity from daunorubicin

Long term effects include:

  • infertility
  • learning and growth disorders in children from cranial irradiation for ALL; attempts now being made to use high-dose intrathecal methrotrexate instead
  • cardiac arrythmias and cardiomyopathy
  • pulmonary fibrosis
  • second malignancy: leukaemia or solid tumour
  • cataracts

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