Common Side Effects of Chemotherapeutic Agents

Common Side Effects of Chemotherapeutic Agents^*

	Nausea and Vomiting	Mucositis	Diarrhea	Skin Reactions	Lung	Neurological
Alkylating Agents
Busulfan	0	+	0	Hyperpigmentation	0	0
Carboplatin	+	0	0	0	0	0
Chlorambucil	0	0	0	0	+	0
Cisplatin	+	0	0	Alopecia	0	+
Cyclophosphamide	+	0	0	0	+	0
DTIC	+	0	0	0	0	0
Ifosfamide	+	0	0	Alopecia	0	Encephalopathy
Mechlorethamine	+	+	+	Alopecia, rash	0	0
Melphalan	0	0	0	0	0	0
Antimetabolites
2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine	+	0	0	0	0	0
Cytosine arabinoside	0	0	+	0	+	0
2-Deoxycoformycin	+	0	0	Erythema	0	Lethargy, coma
Fludarabine	+	0	0	0	0	0
5-Fluorouracil	0	+	+	Phlebitis	0	Cerebellar
Hydroxyurea	0	0	0	Skin atrophy	0	0
6-Mercaptopurine	+	0	0	Rash	0	0
Methotrexate	+	+	+	Dermatitis	+	0
with leucovorin	+	+	+	Dermatitis	+	0
Thioguanine	+	+	0	0	0	0
Antitumor Antibiotics
Bleomycin	0	0	0	Erythema	+	0
Dactinomycin	+	+	0	Alopecia, rash	0	0
Daunorubicin	+	+	+	Alopecia, vesicant	0	0
Doxorubicin	+	+	+	Alopecia, vesicant	0	0
Idarubicin	+	+	+	Alopecia, vesicant	0	0
Mitomycin C	+	+	0	Vesicant	+	0
Mitoxantrone	+	+	+	Alopecia, vesicant	0	0
Nitrosoureas
Carmustine (BCNU)	+	0	0	0	+	0
Lomustine (CCNU)	+	0	0	0	0	0
Streptozocin	+	0	0	0	0	0
Thiotepa	+	+	+	Alopecia, rash	0	0
Plant Alkaloids
Etoposide (VP-16)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Taxol	+	0	0	Alopecia	0	Neuropathy
Vinblastine	+	+	0	Alopecia, vesicant	0	+
Vincristine	0	0	0	Vesicant	0	+ Neuropathy

^* Key: +, present; 0, absent.

Adapted from Ewald G, McKenzie C: Manual of Medical Therapeutics. Little, Brown, Boston (out of print).