Help Your Patient Manage Side Effects
As a caregiver, you may be addressing side effects of treatment that your patient is
experiencing. To help your patient manage side effects, you can begin by learning about
the general nature of side effects of cancer treatment. Your next step will be to learn
about the side effects that the medications and procedures in your patient’s treatment
regimen may cause. You can also learn about ways to prevent these side effects or to
reduce their symptoms. Watch closely for symptoms of these complications and consult
your patient’s healthcare team at the first signs that they are experiencing side effects
of treatment.
Your role in controlling or preventing side effects may be a critical part of your patient’s
overall treatment outcome—not only will it help to ease pain and discomfort, you’ll also
help your patient maintain their treatment schedule and receive the prescribed doses
of therapy.
Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
The treatment of a cancer may include the use of chemotherapy, radiation therapy,
targeted therapy, surgery, or some combination of all of these or other therapeutic
options. All of these treatment options are directed at destroying cancer cells.
Unfortunately, cancer treatments may also damage normal, healthy cells that are not
affected by the cancer. The result of this damage is a complication, or side effect, of
treatment.
Why do side effects occur?
Side effects occur because most cancer treatments cannot distinguish between cancer
cells and normal, healthy cells. For example, chemotherapy damages rapidly dividing
cells, a hallmark of cancer cells. In the process, healthy cells that are also rapidly
dividing, such as blood cells and the cells lining the mouth, are also damaged. Radiation
therapy kills some healthy cells that are in the path of the radiation or near the cancer
being treated. Newer radiation therapy techniques can reduce, but not eliminate this
damage.
Why are side effects important?
Side effects of treatment cause inconvenience, discomfort, and are sometimes fatal. Additionally, side effects may also prevent
doctors from delivering the prescribed dose of therapy at the specific time and schedule
decided in the treatment plan. This is important to understand because the expected
outcome from therapy for some cancers is based on delivering treatment at the dose and schedule of the
treatment plan. In other words, side effects not only cause discomfort and
unpleasantness, but may also limit your patient’s ability to achieve the best outcome from
treatment by preventing the delivery of therapy at its optimal dose and time.
Fortunately, there has been a great deal of progress in the
development of medications to help prevent and control the side effects of cancer
treatment. These treatments have led to vast improvements in the management of
side effects associated with cancer treatment, and have made many
cancer treatments more tolerable to more patients. The doctor has carefully determined your patient's chemotherapy dose and schedule to ensure that they have the best opportunity for a successful outcome.
You can learn more about side effects of cancer treatment at these Web sites:
Remember that because you likely know your patient better than other members of
their healthcare team do, you may notice early signs of pain or discomfort before they
do. This makes your role particularly important to your patient’s treatment
and overall well-being. Learn what to expect and watch for, listen and observe closely,
and notify healthcare providers at the earliest signs of discomfort.
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