Late Effects of Treatment A Guide for Patients Introduction Your cancer treatment can cause side effects. Some of these will occur at the time of treatment and will normally stop when treatment ends. Some of these side effects may last for a long time after treatment; these are long- term effects. Some side effects do not occur for months or even years after treatment ends; these side effects are called late effects. These late effects can be physical or emotional. Not everyone gets late effects, the risk depends on the type of treatment, the dose of treatment and the patient’s age at the time of treatment. This booklet is designed to and peer reviewed by Dr Panos provide you with information Kottaridis, Royal Free Hospital. about the late effects you may The rewrite was put together by experience, what to expect and Lisa Lovelidge and reviewed by how they may be managed. If Dr Victoria Grandage. We are also you need specific advice or are grateful to our patient reviewers, concerned about a particular Simon Walker, John Watson and late effect, please contact your Steve Colbourne and the Brighton medical team or Clinical Nurse support group. The booklet has Specialist. since been updated by our Patient Information Writer, Isabelle Leach. This booklet has been compiled by Dr Victoria Grandage (UCLH) If you would like any information on the sources used for this booklet, please email
[email protected] for a list of references. Version 3 Printed: 10/2020 2 www.leukaemiacare.org.uk Review date: 10/2022 In this booklet Introduction