ICE chemotherapy Side Effects
The best treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is ICE Chemotherapy and here ICE refers to the chemotherapy drugs that are used namely, ifosfamide, cisplatin and etoposide. In this mode of chemotherapy also there are certain side effects and the level of side effects depends on each patient. The side effects are related to each of the above mentioned individual drug.
Ifosfamide Side Effects : this drug is injected directly into the veins and the side effect that is seen in most patients who are injected with this drug is that there is a decrease in the blood count i.e. there is a decrease in both the white blood cells as well as red blood cells making you prone to infection. Other side effects are nausea, vomiting, blood in urine. Apart from this there are certain not so common side effects like sleepiness, hallucination, confusion and chances of developing leukemia too. It has also been found that this drug can cause damage to your reproductive organs leading to infertility and also damage to your bladder. You need to keep yourself well hydrated so that the chemical drugs are flushed out of your body while urinating.
Cisplatin Side Effects : Platinol is the drug used and this is drug is infused into the veins of the body because if not injected in a systematic way it can leak and cause damage to the body tissues that it comes in contact with. The side effects that are associated with this drug are nausea, decrease in the level of white and red blood cells, level of toxicity in the kidneys, in some cases there have been complaints of numbness, hearing loss, loss of sensation in the toes and fingers, metallic taste in the mouth.
Etoposide Side Effects : The last of the ICE chemotherapy drug this can be either taken orally or injected directly into the veins. The side effects associated with this drug is more or less the same that are often encountered by those undergoing chemotherapy treatment like hair loss, decrease in the red and white blood cells leading to anemia, fatigues, nausea, vomiting, loss of memory, loss of appetite. In women it can lead to early menopausal symptoms. In some cases there has been complaints of mouth sores, inflammation around the area where the drug has been injected, skin allergies, diarrhea and there is also the chance of relapse of cancer. This drug causes more pain than any of the above two drugs when it is administered.
ICE chemotherapy drugs are always administered directly into the body using a thin plastic tube. This tube is inserted under the supervision of a qualified doctor under the vein of the skin near the collarbone. The side effects and the severity of the side effects depend upon each patient. It has also been found that in some cases there were no reports of any side effects, though the side effects can be minimized with the help of certain medications and diets. There are certain anti-nausea drugs that prevent nausea, avoiding certain food-stuffs, alcoholic drinks, taking ample precautions when travelling in public etc. can help minimize the side effects to a great extent.