Preventing Infection During Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy kills quickly dividing cells, including infection-fighting white blood cells
- You can avoid getting sick by washing your hands often, staying away from sick people, and not touching your face
- Watch for signs of infection such as a fever, chills, sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Report any signs of infection to your doctor right away
"Infections are another potential side effect that we worry about for our patients receiving chemotherapy," explains Dr. Zachary Reese, medical oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare in St. George, Utah, near Salt Lake City. "The reason is because the chemotherapy doesn't just affect the cancer cells, but it also affects the white blood cells in the blood that help you to fight infections." Chemotherapy can damage the cells in bone marrow that form new white blood cells.
Read MoreReducing Your Exposure to Germs
"We want to help protect our patients, and that means that they're doing most of the things that we've all come to experience with COVID," Dr. Reese says. To keep yourself germ-free:- Wash your hands often throughout the day with soap and waterespecially after you've been around other people or you've touched doorknobs or other shared surfaces. Also wash every time you use the bathroom and before you eat. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and then pat them dry. When you're out and can't reach a sink, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Stay away from people who appear to be sick.
- Don't touch your faceespecially your eyes, nose, and mouth, where germs can get into your body.
Watch for Signs of Infection
Even in the best-case scenario when you've done everything you could to protect yourself, it may still be possible for you to get sick. Be alert for the signs of infection, and report them to your doctor right away.
Fever is one sign you definitely shouldn't ignore. "If you have a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, we recommend that you call the clinic right away," Dr. Reese says.
Also check yourself for these other common infection symptoms:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Diarrhea or vomiting
- Chills
- Redness or swelling in any part of your body
- Needing to urinate more often, or burning when you urinate
Tell your doctor if anything doesn't seem right. The concern with waiting is that you could miss a potentially serious bacterial infection like pneumonia or a urinary tract infection (UTI). "If those are left untreated, they can get out of control quickly, and can land people in the hospital, or in severe cases, could even be life-threatening," Dr. Reese says.
Make an appointment to have your symptoms checked out. Your doctor will likely do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms, and for how long you've had them. You may need blood or urine tests, or imaging scans like an x-ray to find the cause.
Once your doctor confirms that you have an infection, you can get on a treatment to avoid any possible complications. "The sooner we get on top of it by starting antibiotics, the less likely that it becomes a serious issue," Dr. Reese says.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
