National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC)

Because the drugs all work differently, they have different side effects. Chemotherapy drugs can also affect individual women in different ways. Most side effects of chemotherapy can be managed with medical care.Some of the possible side effects of chemotherapy are listed below. It’s unlikely that a woman will have many or all of these side effects. It’s also important to remember that having chemotherapy can have great benefits, including a higher likelihood of surviving ovarian cancer.

Chemotherapy treatment can be adjusted according to the side effects a woman experiences and how well her cancer is being controlled. Some of these side effects might only occur if the drug is used over an extended period of time. It’s possible to have chemotherapy with very few side effects. If this happens, it doesn’t mean that the chemotherapy is not working.

Common side effects experienced by women receiving chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer include:

• nausea and vomiting
• hair loss
• infections
• bleeding or bruising
• nerve problems (peripheral neuropathy)

Other possible side effects include:

• fatigue
• skin or nail problems
• depression and anxiety
• weight gain or weight loss
• diarrhoea or constipation
• feeling vague or ‘in a fog’
• kidney and bladder problems
• mouth ulcers.