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Ask your oncologist and chemotherapy nurse for the details on each drug's side effects. Side effects of chemotherapy are different for everyone and vary based on the types of drugs you receive.
Generally people treated with intravesical chemotherapy experience far fewer side effects than those having systemic treatment. These are the most common side effects for people who have local chemotherapy for bladder cancer:
Urinary frequency
Urinary urgency
Pain or burning with urination
These side effects usually get better with time.
With systemic chemotherapy, side effects may be short term, called acute, or ongoing, called chronic. Here are some side effects you may have:
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Hair loss
Low blood cell counts, which may cause:
Infections due to low white blood cell levels, called neutropenia
Bleeding or bruising due to low platelet levels, called thrombocytopenia
Fatigue due to low red blood cell levels, called anemia
Anxiety and insomnia
Mouth sores
Mild cognitive impairment during or after chemotherapy
Symptoms of cognitive impairment can include trouble concentrating, short-term memory lapses, trouble multitasking, and trouble with word finding — for instance, remembering names.
In addition to the side effects above, some drugs used to treat bladder cancer may cause kidney damage. You may be given fluids through a vein during the procedure to help prevent this. You may also be advised to drink lots of fluids before and after the treatments.