CANCER TREATMENT AND THE LUNGS

The treatment you had can sometimes lead to problems with your lungs. This may be as a result of the drugs you received or because you had radiotherapy to the chest or both. Any problems are likely to be quite minor but your doctor may want you to have special breathing tests. The most common problem is that the lungs have not grown quite as much as they should have. For the majority of people this is not noticeable and does not limit their activity. If you have had surgery to the chest, this may also have an effect. Patients who have had total body irradiation and a bone marrow transplant will normally have regular checks on their lungs.

People who have been treated with a drug called bleomycin will have been told to take care to avoid treatment with 100% oxygen e.g. if they need an anaesthetic, as this can be hazardous. If you are having an operation REMEMBER to tell the doctor that you have been treated with bleomycin.

Remember – if you develop a chronic cough, become unusually breathless, or get chest pains, you must contact your G.P.

To help protect against any problems take regular exercise and definitely do not smoke.

CANCER TREATMENT AND THE LUNGS PDF (212kb)

This website is produced on behalf of the CCLG Late Effects Group.
Edited by Dr Annie Griffiths | Contributors
Designed by the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG)