- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Skin irritation
- Dry, itchy scalp
- Hair loss
- Mouth sores
- Pain when swallowing
- Reduced appetite
- Burning sensation in the throat or chest
- Pain or discomfort while urinating
- Frequent urination (often in small amounts)
- Abdominal bloating or cramps
- Urgency to have a bowel movement
Immunotherapy
In a video on the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s website, Dr. Jyoti Patel, with the oncology department at Northwestern Medical Group, explains that immunotherapy uses your body’s own immune system to fight cancer. “There are a couple of different ways to do it,” she said.
“We can stimulate your immune system or rev it up to recognize and fight cancer. We can also give patients part of the immune system, such as proteins or antibodies that help the system fight the cancer,” Patel added.
Immunotherapy can bring about various side effects. The National Cancer Institute provides the following list of immunotherapy side effects:
- Skin responses near the injection site, possibly causing discomfort, swelling, tenderness, redness, itching or a rash
- Flu-like symptoms, which encompass fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, as well as nausea or vomiting
- Muscle or joint discomfort, fatigue, headaches, breathing difficulties or fluctuations in blood pressure
- Swelling and weight increase due to fluid retention
- Heart palpitations
- Sinus congestion
- Digestive issues like diarrhea
- Increased susceptibility to infections
- Inflammation of organs
Surgery
- Open surgery: In open surgery, a surgeon makes a single large incision to access and remove the tumor, sometimes including adjacent healthy tissue and nearby lymph nodes.
- Minimally invasive surgery: This approach uses a few small incisions instead of one large one. A thin tube with a tiny camera, known as a laparoscope, is inserted through one incision, projecting internal images onto a monitor. Special surgical tools are introduced through other small incisions to remove the tumor and some healthy tissue. Minimally invasive surgery offers a quicker recovery due to smaller incisions.
Like all cancer treatments, surgery carries potential side effects, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Pain
- Infection
- Loss of organ function
- Fatigue
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
- Altered bowel or bladder function
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is designed to attack specific cancer cells with precision. According to the American Cancer Society, these therapies employ drugs or substances that identify and combat particular types of cancer cells, either as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.
Cancer cells often exhibit genetic changes that set them apart from healthy cells, causing abnormal behaviors such as rapid growth and division. Drugs developed for targeted therapy are tailored to intercept these aberrant signals. They can block cancer cells’ growth-inducing messages or trigger the cells’ self-destruction.
While targeted therapy offers promising results, it may yield side effects such as:
- Skin issues, including altered skin texture, photosensitivity, rashes, dryness, itching, changes in nail beds (redness and soreness), and hand-foot syndrome
- Alterations in hair growth and changes in hair or skin color
- Eye-related changes
- High blood pressure
- Bleeding or clotting complications
- Slow wound healing
- Potential heart damage
- Autoimmune reactions
- Swelling
- Nausea and vomiting
- Digestive issues (diarrhea or constipation)
- Mouth sores
- Breathing difficulties
- Cough
- Persistent fatigue
- Headaches
- Hair loss
- Organ damage, such as to the thyroid gland, liver, or kidneys
- Allergic reactions during IV drug administration
- Heightened susceptibility to specific infections
- Increased risk of secondary cancers
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is specifically designed to slow or halt the growth of cancers fueled by hormones, the National Cancer Institute says.
- Cancer treatment: It effectively curtails cancer growth.
- Symptom relief: In some cases, hormone therapy can alleviate or prevent symptoms, particularly in men with prostate cancer who may not be candidates for surgery or radiation therapy.
For men undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer, potential side effects may include: