Main cancer treatments have known to create side effects in patients. These side effects are mainly caused when the treatment method affects the healthy tissues while treating the cancer cells. Some of the common general side effects are anemia, bleeding, bruising, diarrhea, fatigue, edema, fertility issues, flu, hair loss, lymphedema, nerve problems, nausea, vomiting, inflammation, sexual issues in both men and women and so on. The effects are not constant in every individual and vary from person to person. Let us take a look at some of the side effects involved in the main cancer treatment methods.

Radiation Therapy
Side effects involved in radiation therapy are mainly related to

• Skin
  Patients who receive radiation therapy have experienced dry and itchy skin which can later blister and get swollen. However, side effects also depend upon the area and these side effects reduce ina week or two’s time. It is advisable to consult a doctor of the problem still persists are two weeks.
• Fatigue
  It has been found that the overall energy level of a patient receiving radiation treatment is very low and the patient appears to be exhausted throughout the day irrespective of the rest he or she gets. A combination of radiation and chemo has been to be even more exhaustive.

Chemotherapy
Side effects of chemotherapy are as follows:

• An individual undergoing chemotherapy experiences high fatigue levels which affect the daily routine.
• Chemotherapy damages the hair follicles leading to hair loss.
• Chemotherapy patients are prone to excessive bruising, which eventually leads to excessive bleeding as well.
• Chemotherapy patients have reduced blood count
• Urine and bladder changes leading to kidney malfunction is another symptom.
• A person undergoing chemotherapy has reduced libido and sexual activity.
• An individual undergoing chemotherapy can experience abnormal weight gain or weight reduction.

Targeted Therapy
The following side effects are prominent when it comes to

• Targeted therapy medications can raise the blood pressure level in the patient and in some cases require other medicines to bring the blood pressure back to normalcy.
• Targeted therapy medications affect the blood vessel growth as a result of which there can be bruising and bleeding in the patients. Since there is nothing much that can be done to prevent this. The patients needs to be careful.
• Some medications involved in targeted therapy cause blood clotting in the lungs and legs and can raise the risk of getting a stroke or heart attack. Chest pain, blurred vision, shortening of breath are some of the symptoms of blood clotting.
• Some medications can damage the functioning of the heart when combined with chemotherapy medications. Chest pain, dizziness, fainting, weight gain and swelling of ankles or legs are some of the common symptoms if such a condition exists.
• Certain medications compromise the immune system of the body and the body gets vulnerable to infections and allergies.
• Swelling around the face especially the eyes, swelling around the hands and the legs are other side effects involved.
• A person undergoing targeted therapy has reduced healing since the medications interfere with wound healing.