Side Effects of Lung Cancer Treatments

The response of each person to different treatments is different. So the side effects of aggressive lung cancer treatment can often be worse than the illness itself.
Side effects are usually only temporary and the best way of dealing with them is to treat the symptoms as they occur.

Surgery Related Side Effects

Surgery for lung cancer is a major operation and the problems it entails include:

  • Air and fluid collection in the chest. After surgery patients usually need help coughing, breathing deeply and turning themselves over to drain their chest.
  • Pain and weakness in the chest, side and arm (on the affected side).
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Patients may take several weeks or months to gain back their usual strength and fitness levels. (Very often this is not achieved).

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

The crisis that arises with chemotherapy is that it affects the normal cells, as well as the cancerous cells. The side effects of chemotherapy largely depend on specific drugs and the amount of drug given.
Common side effects of chemotherapy are:

  • Nausea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Hair loss.
  • Mouth sores.
  • Fatigue.

Radiation Therapy Related Side Effects

Radiation therapy also has similar effects as does chemotherapy in which it affects normal, as well as the cancerous cells. So the side effects of radiation treatment depend mainly on the part of the body treated and also the treatment dose administered.
Common side effects of radiation treatment are:

  • Dry, sore throat.
  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • Fatigue.
  • Skin changes at the site of treatment.
  • Loss of appetite.

Side effects in the patients receiving radiation to the brain include:

  • Headaches.
  • Skin changes.
  • Fatigue.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Hair loss.
  • Problems with memory and thought processes.

Side Effects Related To Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy has the following common side effects:

  • Coughing.
  • Trouble swallowing.
  • Painful breathing or shortness of breath.
  • From time to time the skin may become blistered, red, or swollen.
  • The skin and eyes become sensitive to light for six weeks or more.
  • If patients go outdoors, they must wear protective clothing, including sunglasses.

LUNG CANCER

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