Side effects

Immunotherapy causes your immune system to be more active, so that it will be more effective in finding and killing the cancer cells. Like chemotherapy, it also can also cause some side effects. Sometimes the immune system becomes over active. This can result in inflammation in different parts of the body.

Most commonly the parts of the body affected include:

 

•  Your skin, which may result in an itchy rash, or changes in colour

 

• Your glands that make hormones can be disrupted, which can lead to problems such as weight changes, feeling hungry or thirsty, headaches or feeling fatigued

 

• Immunotherapy can affect your bowels and cause diarrhoea, with or without tummy pain

 

•  Sometimes it can affect joints, which can lead to swelling or pain in the joint

 

On very rare occasions, it may affect your heart or lungs. Your clinical team or chemotherapy nurse can go through this with you.