Side effects of lymphoma chemotherapy are generally short or temporary. However, there are some long-term side effects. There are various permutations and combinations of chemotherapy drugs used for the treatment for lymphoma cancer and advanced lymphoma. The treatment of these drugs is done in sessions or regimens. The combination of drugs used for a particular patient depends on the patient’s health, type and stage of cancer and case analysis of the reports.

Generally, patients of early stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma have 4 to 6 sessions of ABVD chemotherapy which consists of 4 drugs- Adriamycin or doxorubicin, bleomycin, vincristine and dacarbazine.

In case of advanced stages of lymphoma, ABVD or other combinations could be used. Some of these combinations are-

MOPP, which stands for mustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone.

ChlvPP, which stands for chlorambucil, vinblastine, procarbazine and prednisolone.

Stanford V, which stands for mustine, doxorubicin, vinblastine, vincristine, bleomycin, etoposide and steroids.

BEACOPP, which stands for bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone.

Some Common Side Effects of these Drugs

• Low Blood counts
• Sickness
• Diarrhea
• Mouth Ulcers
• Hair loss or thinning hair
• Fatigue

Long Term Effects of these drugs are-

Infertility

Unfortunately, some drugs used to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma damage the ovaries or testicles making conception difficult. Researchers say that chemotherapy and fertility are linked to some extent. This depends on the dosage, the combination of drugs and the patient’s age. Older women are more prone to have infertility due to chemotherapy.

It is possible for young men who want to have children to store sperms before they start with the chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy could lead to an early menopause in some women, it is possible to freeze pieces of their ovarian tissue and replace it post treatment. Although this process is still under clinical trials. Hormone replacement therapy is also one of the options for such women who want to have children in future. It is possible to freeze unfertilized eggs of such women.

Second Cancer

Chemotherapy drugs damage healthy cells along with the Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells. , This could lead to other cells becoming cancerous some years after the treatment. However, new treatments nowadays are less likely to cause a second cancer and hence the risk is much lower.

Cardiac Problems

Some drugs used to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma cause heart problems. They increase the risk of a heart attack and other cardiac problems in future.

Lung Damage

Some chemotherapy drugs like bleomycin cause inflammation of the lungs during the treatment. This is called pneumonitis. In this case, normally the use of bleomycin would be stopped right away. Inflammation of lungs subsides once bleomycin is stopped. However, rarely it damages lungs causing cough and breathlessness even later.

Side effects of lymphoma chemotherapy are bound to happen and they vary from patient to patient. If none of these chemotherapies work and the lymphoma recurs then most patients undergo BEAM chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant. Although chemotherapy works well for most cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, clinical research trials are in process to make better drugs or reduce side effects. It is important to remember that most of these side effects of chemotherapy are temporary and would subside slowly once the treatment is over.