Complications of Cancer Therapies

For cancer survivors staying well includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following healthcare standards. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that special health needs may apply depending on the type of cancer they have had and the types of treatments they have received.

By Organ/System and by Therapy
Treatments and Potential Resulting Complications

By Organ/System and by Therapy with Recommendations for Diagnosis:

Organ or Symptom	Cancer Therapy	Recommendation
Second Malignancies	Any Therapy	History & physical annually
Thyroid	Local radiation therapy, total-body radiation	Third-generation TSH, serum-free thyroxine, thyroid Ultrasonography
Gonads	Gonadal or pituitary irradiation; total body irradiation or cyclophosphamide; nitrogen mustard; procarbazine or nitrosoureas	Assess pituitary/gonad function; estradio; sperm count in men
Spleen	Splenectomy	Follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines for vaccination; prophylactic antibiotics if febrile
Musculoskeletal Scoliosis or Kyphosis	Local radiation therapy, steroids	Measure height standing & sitting; rule out avascular necrosis
Liver and Intestine	Local radiation therapy, most chemotherapy agents	Liver function test; compliance with American Cancer Society recommendations
Kidney or Bladder	Cisplatin or nitrosoureas, cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide, local radiation therapy	Urinalysis, creatinine clearance, renal angiogram, urine cytology, voiding cystourethrogram
Cardiovascular	Anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, local radiation therapy	ECG, ECHO, or MUGA scan; radionuclide angiocardiography; endomyocardial biopsy
Pulmonary	Local radiation therapy, bleomycin,nitrosoureas, total body irradiation	Chest radiograph, arterial blood gases, pulmonary function test with diffusion capacity, counseling on risks of smoking

Other Treatments & Potential Complications:

	Cause	Effects
Upper and lower extremity problems	Surgery	Stiffness, weakness, decreased mobility
	Mastectomy	Lymphedema
	Neck or chest surgery	Frozen shoulder
Eye problems	Steroids, total body radiation	Cataracts
Eye problems	5-fluorouracil	Tear-duct fibrosis
Oropharyngeal problems	Head & neck surgery	Chewing or swallowing difficulty, impaired speech, airway obstruction
Oropharyngeal problems	Radiation to head and neck	Increased dental caries (changes in saliva)
Skeletal problems	Radiotherapy	Osteonecrosis, late fractures
Skeletal problems	Steroids	Aseptic necrosis
Skin problems	Radiotherapy	Persistent induration, telangiectatic change
Skin problems	Ostomy	Infection, dermatitis