Infections After Chemotherapy

Overview

Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment given either orally or intravenously. Chemotherapy works by destroying the cancer cells which are rapidly dividing cells. Unfortunately, it also destroys some of the healthy cells in the body such as the blood cells, bone marrow, hair cells, nails and so on. Hence, the white blood cells in the body are reduced in number and since bone marrow is also affected, new blood cells cannot be formed as well. This causes the immune system of the body to become weak. This lead to increase risk of infections. However, this depends on the dosage of the medication, the duration of the treatment, combinations of the medications, age and underlying medical conditions. Example of common infections after chemotherapy are throat infections, lung infections, urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal infections. Common infections may lead to more severe infections if not noticed and treated properly.