Common Adverse Events from Chemotherapy in Ambulatory Gynecologic Cancer Care

Abstract

Chemotherapy alone or as an additive treatment with surgery or radiation is the most common treatment in 70% of gynecologic cancers and the majority of patients in the ambulatory unit. The most common chemotherapy adverse events are divided into those occurring in the hematologic and non-hematologic systems. In the hematologic system, anemia and thrombocytopenia are treated with blood component transfusions, packed red cells and platelets, respectively. Neutropenia, especially febrile neutropenia, is the major cause of severe infection in patients, and may lead to death, Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is used for primary or secondary prophylaxis depending on the febrile neutropenia risk of chemotherapy and patients’ risk. In the non-hematologic system, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, alopecia, hand-foot syndrome, hypersensitivity and peripheral neuropathy are the main adverse events. Premedication before chemotherapy administration is an effective method for preventing nausea and vomiting and decreased the incidence of hypersensitivity, which can be a life-threatening event, while other symptoms such as fatigue, alopecia, hand-foot syndrome and peripheral neuropathy require only symptomatic treatments.