What are the common side effects of chemotherapy that I should monitor in my patients?

Common side effects of chemotherapy that you should monitor in your patients include:

• Neutropenia, which can lead to serious complications such as febrile neutropenia and neutropenic sepsis ¹,²,³. Patients and their carers should receive written and oral information on neutropenic sepsis, including how and when to contact 24-hour specialist oncology advice and how to seek emergency care ³.
• Nausea and vomiting ¹.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy), which can manifest as numbness, pain, or weakness ¹,⁴.
• Joint and muscle pain ¹.
• Hypersensitivity reactions ¹.
• Hair loss (alopecia), which can be long-term after treatment with taxanes ¹.
• Cardiac toxicity ¹.

It is important to be aware that some side effects, particularly after treatments like cranial radiotherapy, can be late-onset, developing months or years after treatment ⁴. These may include cognitive decline, epilepsy, hearing loss, and further neuropathy ⁴. Patients' individual risk of developing such late effects should be assessed and recorded in their written treatment summary, and explained to them and their carers ⁴.