What are the Side Effects of Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer?
Affiliation: Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania Last Modified: June 30, 2002 Dear OncoLink “Ask The Experts,” What are the Side Effects of Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer? Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, AOCN, OncoLink’s Clinical Trials Coordinator, responds: Chemotherapy kills cells that divide rapidly. Unfortunately, this includes both good cells (hair follicles, mucosa of mouth and GI tract, red and white blood cells, etc.) and bad cells (tumor). Every chemotherapy has slightly different side effects, which vary from patient to patient. The following paragraphs describe the most common side effects for each medication and some ways to manage them. Fluorouracil (5-FU) Diarrhea: This can often be managed with loperamide (Imodium) or lomotil (anti-diarrheal medications). A doctor or nurse can give you instructions on how to take them, as it often differs from the instructions on the box. Patients with diarrhea should drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids to prevent dehydra
