Toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs and prevention

1, local reactions chemotherapeutic drugs in the process of intravenous administration, the incidence of accidental leakage is 0.1%-6%. Some of the more irritating chemotherapeutic drugs can cause serious local reactions when injected intravenously. (i) Phlebitis: It is manifested as pain and redness at the site of the used vein, sometimes visible as venous embolism and skin pigmentation along the vein. ②Local tissue necrosis: when the irritant drug leaks into the subcutaneous, it can cause local tissue chemical inflammation, redness, pain and even tissue necrosis and ulceration, which will not heal for a long time. Most chemotherapy drugs have different degrees of myelosuppression, and myelosuppression is often the dose-limiting toxicity of antitumor drugs. Different drugs have different strength, speed and length of effect on bone marrow, so the degree of reaction is also different. 3, gastrointestinal toxicity is the most early toxic reaction caused by chemotherapy drugs, manifested as dry mouth, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting. Sometimes the taste buds can be damaged, and patients often feel a metallic taste in the mouth, generally heavy with nitrogen mustard, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, or oral mucosal inflammation or ulcers, constipation, paralytic intestinal obstruction, diarrhea. Gastrointestinal bleeding and abdominal pain may also be seen. Treatment: ①Take prophylactic medication according to medical advice. ② Treatment of mucositis is based on symptomatic treatment of boils, oral dryness can be topical application of sodium bicarbonate to reduce the viscosity of saliva, neutralize the acidity of the oral cavity when dry, drinking more water, spray rinsing, etc., as well as the combination of surface anesthetics, anti-inflammatory drugs and antacids to reduce pain and discomfort. ③ Persistent diarrhea: stimulating food should be avoided, energy supply should be paid attention to, hydration, appropriate use of antidiarrheal drugs, constipation should be noted to increase dietary fiber, drink sufficient water, appropriate activity, stool softeners can also be used, if necessary, the application of light laxatives. 4. Immunosuppressive chemotherapy drugs are generally immunosuppressive drugs, which have different degrees of inhibiting effect on the immune function of the body. Meanwhile, the effect of strong chemotherapeutic drugs on T-lymphatic system cells is long-term, and therefore can lead to an increased susceptibility to certain infections, such as herpes zoster. It can be seen that nutritional support treatment during chemotherapy is of great importance. 5, nephrotoxicity part of chemotherapy drugs can cause kidney damage, mainly manifested as acute necrosis and degeneration of renal tubular epithelium, interstitial edema, renal tubular dilatation, and renal failure in severe cases. Patients may have back pain, hematuria, edema, abnormal kidney function, etc. 6, liver injury chemotherapy drug-induced liver reactions can be acute and transient liver damage, including necrosis, inflammation, but also due to long-term drug use, causing chronic liver injury, such as fibrosis, steatosis, granuloma formation, eosinophil infiltration, etc.. Clinical manifestations can be abnormal liver function tests, liver pain, liver size, jaundice, etc. Cardiotoxicity is one of the most common chemotherapeutic drugs that cause cardiotoxicity, which can be clinically manifested as arrhythmia, heart failure, myocardial injury, and patients show weakness, active dyspnea, and episodic nocturnal dyspnea. In heart failure, there may be rapid pulse, rapid breathing, hepatomegaly, heart enlargement, pulmonary edema, edema and pleural fluid, and abnormalities in electrocardiogram. Animal experiments and in vitro tests have shown that vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, acetylcysteine, and calcium channel blockers reduce the cardiotoxicity of intracyclines. Adriamycin is given once a week with heavy cardiotoxicity, and once every 3 weeks with light cardiotoxicity. 48~96 hours continuous intravenous drip can reduce cardiotoxicity, and fructose diphosphate can reduce cardiotoxicity. 8, pulmonary toxicity caused by lung damage more common drugs are bleomycin, white elimination, suboxynivalenol, MMC and methotrexate, etc.. The performance is interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. Clinical manifestations may include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Most acute onset, accompanied by granulocytosis, once a suspected pulmonary toxicity is found, the drug should be promptly discontinued and corticosteroids should be applied as soon as possible, which can produce significant results. 9, neurotoxicity part of chemotherapy drugs can cause peripheral neuritis, manifested as finger (toe) numbness, loss of tendon reflexes, abnormal sensation, and sometimes constipation or paralytic intestinal obstruction, some drugs can produce central neurotoxicity, mainly manifested as abnormal sensation, weakened sense of vibration, numbness, tingling in the limbs, gait disorders, ataxia, drowsiness, mental abnormalities, etc. 10, hair loss hair loss is a common side effect of many kinds of chemotherapy drugs, which is the result of chemotherapy drug damage to hair follicles. The degree of hair loss is usually related to the concentration of the drug, the dose, the method of administration, the route of administration and the combination of drugs. Hair follicles are a metabolically active cell population that is more sensitive to antineoplastic drugs. Hair loss during chemotherapy is one of the more common complications. Among the common chemotherapy drugs that are prone to hair loss are: aminoglutethimide, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, actinomycin D, erythromycin, adriamycin, epirubicin, etoposide, vincristine, 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, isocyclophosphamide, methotrexate, mitomycin, paclitaxel, vincristine, etc. Hair loss is temporary reversible, usually 1~2 months after stopping the drug hair begins to regenerate, and better than new hair hair, so do not smell hair loss, have a healthy psychological preparation, or prepare a hat, or a wig can be prepared. Prevention methods: ① hair loss is the toxic performance of chemotherapy drugs on hair follicles, in order to reduce the concentration of chemotherapy drugs at the hair follicle site, you can make the head cool down during chemotherapy, use ice caps, so that local vasoconstriction, so as to reduce the degree of hair loss. ②During chemotherapy, avoid combing your hair or washing it excessively. ③Do not use hairdryer when cutting hair to prevent hair dryness. ④Avoid inappropriate use of chemicals on the hair. 11.Fertility Some chemotherapy drugs can lead to long-term sperm deficiency or egg failure, and some younger patients can only recover their reproductive function after at least 2 years. 12, the occurrence of second malignant tumors combined chemotherapy and combination therapy can induce the occurrence of tumors is the most concerned interstitial issue, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, for example, the incidence of solid tumors in patients after long-term treatment does not seem to increase, but the incidence of acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia is obviously higher than the general population, followed by non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so it should be closely observed.