| | Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to destroy cancerous cells. Some drugs can be taken orally, while others must be given intravenously. Some drugs destroy cancer cells directly and others make the cells more sensitive to radiation. The main drugs used to treat testicular cancer are cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and ifosfamide. These are used in various combinations.
Common side effects include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, mouth sores, increased risk of infection, bleeding and fatigue. Some drugs can cause long-term side effects such as kidney damage, damage to blood vessels that results in sensitivity to cold temperatures, nerve damage, hearing loss, and lung damage causing shortness of breath and reduced capacity for physical activity. A second cancer, usually leukemia, will develop in about 1 percent of testicular cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.
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