Chemotherapy Effects in Cancer Patients

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Chemotherapy Effects in Cancer Patients When we hear the words, cancer treatment, our minds naturally shoot straight to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is one of the most commonly used ways to treat cancer. Chemotherapy did not have original plans to treat cancer patients, but it did have other plausible problems to aid. After WWII, lymphoma, a form of chemotherapy, was used to help soldiers who were harmed by mustard gas (Chemo Brain, 2012). This medical advancement continued to progress into what we now know as chemotherapy. However, no action takes precedence without effects, good or bad. Although chemotherapy is given to cancer patients in hopes of a positive outcome, chemo can have negative effects. Common effects that are seen in cancer patients who have received a form of chemotherapy treatment may experience: “chemo brain”, anemia, and nausea along with vomiting (Chemo Brain, 2012). Like any drug/treatment, chemotherapy can have a negative impact on a cancer patient. Chemotherapy tends to have a psychological effect on patients, commonly known as “chemo brain” (Chemo Brain, 2012). Chemo brain is a mental disability that is caused by the effect of chemotherapy that may impair a cancer patient’s everyday life (Chemo Brain, 2012). Examples of Chemo brain may include: becoming forgetful, not being able to concentrate, trouble remembering any details, no longer being able to multi-task, having a difficult time finishing a task and having trouble remembering sentence structure (Chemo Brain, 2012). Even though chemo brain is the common term, doctors and researchers refer to chemo brain as “mild cognitive impairment” (Chemo Brain, 2012). They usually use the proper term if the effects are short-lasting, but will use the term chemo br... ... middle of paper ... ...me E. Groopman, L. M. I. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/91/19/1616.full Nordqvist , C. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158401.php Patient Advocate Foundation, (2012). Chemotherapy-Related Anemia Guide. Retrieved from http://www.patientadvocate.org/resources.php?p=195 Mayo Clinic Staff, (2014), Chemotherapy nausea and vomiting: prevention is best defence http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chemotherapy/in-depth/cancer/art-20047517?pg=2 Gao, H.F., Liang, Y., Hou, N.N., Zhang, D.S., Wu, H.Y. (2014). Aprepitant plus palonosetron and dexamethasone for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients receiving multiple-day cisplatin chemotherapy. 43(1), 73-76. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9398bc07-cbae-4a6e-b88e-34cacb77844c%40sessionmgr111&vid=9&hid=121

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