Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer which is either given orally or is injected into the veins. Oral chemotherapy is administering the prescribed drugs orally. Doctors give details about how many pills or capsules to take and when to take it. These instructions should be strictly followed. Oral chemotherapy is generally taken at home. The duration of the treatment depends on the type of cancer one has and it also depends on the medicines the patient is taking to cure the ailment. The side effects of oral chemotherapy could be many. The severity of the side effects varies from patient to patient.

Oral chemotherapy is given either every day, every week, on a fortnightly basis or even once a month. It can be prescribed to take several times in a day or just once in a day. The treatment lasts for several months or even longer. Chemotherapy is most of the times taken in cycles. This gives the patients the much needed break to recover and allow the body to grow new and healthy cells.

The Side Effects of Oral Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy side effects differ from person to person. Some may have many side effects whereas others might have just one or two side effects. Some of them might not have any side effects at all. The side effects are for a short period of time in most cases. They go away once the treatment is complete. Here are some of the possible side effects of oral chemotherapy.

• Diarrhea or constipation:Chemotherapy might affect the intestines. Patients might experience diarrhea or constipation. Your doctor should be made aware if you have diarrhea for more than 24 hours. If constipation lasts for several days then it should be brought to the doctor’s notice. Patients might also suffer from pain or cramping along with diarrhea.
• Fatigue:Fatigue is the most common side effect which most patients experience while undergoing oral chemotherapy treatment for oral cancer. This might happen suddenly or after some time. Fatigue caused by the therapy is not relieved with rest or naps. It might last for months, weeks or even days.
• Blood problems: Certain blood cells such as white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets change in the body after undergoing chemotherapy. The count of red blood cells is also reduced after going through this treatment. This is known as anemia. The blood does not clot and one might also get bruised easily. Clotting helps to stop bleeding if one gets hurt. Patients are also asked to do blood test to find and detect if there are any early problems.
• Hair loss:This is common side effect faced by the patients during oral chemotherapy. The hair becomes thin and there is also a lot of hair fall. Hair loss might happen once you begin the therapy or even after several weeks from the treatment. Usually the hair grows back after the treatment is over or if in case the treatment is stopped.
• Kidney or bladder problems: Some chemotherapy drugs might cause infection to the kidney or bladder. It might also cause life long damage to the kidneys or bladder.
• Nausea or vomiting: These are again common symptoms of chemotherapy. Usually special medicines are prescribed by the doctors to minimize the side effects.
• Poor appetite: Patients might not feel like eating while oral chemotherapy is taken. One can also ask your doctors to see what can be done to have a healthy and balanced diet.
• Memory or mood problems: Chemotherapy might make the patient feel very sad or even confused. The patients must communicate with family, friends or even the doctor about their feeling. The doctors might also suggest a few tips to cope up with this side effect.

Oral chemotherapy success rates are high as the drugs given are not that strong and do not generally reach the stomach, but despite this the side effects can be long term at times. The doctors have to be very alert and keep a close check on the patients while the treatment is on.