DSRCT Complications

Treatment Complications
As with any serious disease, complications can often arrise during treatment. With this disease it is critical to remain healthy not only to fight the disease but to withstand the treatment.


 * Neutropenia - Occurs during treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Neutropenia is the result of a patients body not producing enough white blood cells (WBC). The patients immune system is than compromised and a patient is at risk for serious infections that can lead to treatment delays. Neutropenia can happen at any time, but the patient is most at risk about 8-10 days after starting chemotherapy. Most patients monitor their WBC or neutrophil counts twice a week. When their WBC count is below 500 ANC a patient should take appropriate precautions. Patients may also use granulocyte (gran-ew-low-site) colony stimulating factor to give their WBC a boost. Check with your physician.


 * Central Line Infection - It is essential to keep the Broviac or Hickman catheter central line or portacath as clean as possible. Use alchol pads and gloves to swab lines and change dressing. Be careful of water. A low grade fever can indicate a low grade infection harbored in one of the lines. A hide grade fever can be life threatening. And, since there are hundreds of different bacteria and infections a patient will remain hospitalized while doctors try to establish the type of germ causing the problem. (note -high grade fevers may be accompanied by vomiting, acheness, and uncontrollable shaking called 'rigors' - in a central line infection - the severity of illness will come and go as the line is flushed.) Central line complications can be life threatening as well as mean a delay in scheduled treatment. If the doctors cannot get rid of the source of infection through antibiotics they may elect to remove the central line and than replace it a few days later.

Long Term Complications

 * Colostomy - Because this disease predominately affects the abdominal cavity, surgery often involves removing parts of diseased large or small intestine. The patient may need to have a temporary or permanent colostomy as a result.

BACK