Gintare Meizys

Research Methods and Data Collection

The data collected and further analysis will address the question: between chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, and biotherapy, which of these treatments has the least risk of pain or discomfort
involved? The hypothesis to this question is that biological therapy has the least risk involved.
Qualitative data will be gathered through interviews, already-existing research and scientific
trials, and analysis of treatment descriptions and their mechanics. The data for each treatment
will be recorded in a data collection notebook and compared evaluating the risks and effects of
each. Each side effect will also be ranked according to occurrence for each treatment.
Occurrence data will also be gathered through treatment descriptions and already-existing
research. The ranks are common, moderate, and uncommon. This information will be
organized into a chart to visually display the gathered data.

Results and Data Analysis

The following charts each contain the side effects and occurrence of the three different
treatments. Biotherapy has several separate charts for a few of the more common types of the
therapy. There will be a brief explanation after each chart.

Chemotherapy:
Side Effects

Occurrence

Mood changes

Common

Nausea, vomiting

Common

Flu-like symptoms

Moderate

Hair loss

Common

Fatigue

Common

Pain: Feeling burning, tingling or

numbness; headaches

Common

Infection

Common

Bone marrow damage: anemia,

leukopenia, thrombocytopenia

Common

Appetite loss: weight loss, not enough

nutrition

Common

Mouth sores, throat sores

Common

Nerve damage, Muscle damage

Common

Skin and nail changes or problems

Common

Urine, bladder, and kidney changes or

problems: constipation, diarrhea

Common

Trouble focusing or thinking clearly

Common

Sexual and fertility problems: harms

unborn fetus, affects ability to carry a
child, affects ability to get
pregnant/impregnate

Common

Permanent or long-term organ damage

Moderate

Osteoporosis

Moderate

Second cancer

Common

Most of the side effects listed for chemotherapy are common. This means that there is a
very good chance that someone under chemotherapy will experience a few of these, if not all.
The chance of these side effects occurring may also increase when in combination with
radiotherapy ("Chemotherapy and Cancer Treatment, Coping with Side Effects."). Other than
flu-like symptoms, the only side effects that are less common are permanent or long-term organ
damage and osteoporosis. Flu-like symptoms occur and last from hours to days after treatment,
and the chance of this happening increases when chemotherapy is used with biotherapy ("Cancer
Treatment Side Effects: Flu-Like Symptoms" ).

Radiotherapy:
Side Effects

Occurrence

Mood changes

Common

Nausea, vomiting

Common

Hair loss

Common

Fatigue

Common

Bone marrow damage: anemia,

leukopenia, thrombocytopenia

Uncommon

Tooth decay

Uncommon

Appetite loss: weight loss, not enough

nutrition

Common

Skin irritation or damage

Common

Fibrosis

Uncommon

Damage to the salivary glands

Common

Urinary problems, damage to the bowels

Common

Memory loss

Uncommon

Trouble focusing or thinking clearly

Uncommon

Sexual and fertility problems: harms

unborn fetus, affects ability to carry a
child, affects ability to get
pregnant/impregnate

Moderate

Permanent or long-term organ damage

Moderate

Second cancer

Common

Radiation therapy is usually directed towards one specific part of the body so that it
affects the least amount of healthy cells. This means that some side effects are dependant on
where the radiation is aimed. Some side effects listed as uncommon are those that are associated
more with specific parts of the body. Trouble focusing or thinking clearly, as well as memory
loss, are more common with brain radiation. Tooth decay is more common with mouth radiation.

Biotherapy:
MAbs:

Side Effects

Occurrence

Fatigue

Common

Flu-like symptoms

Common

Allergic reaction

Moderate

Lowered blood counts

Uncommon

Changes in blood chemistry

Uncommon

Organ damage (heart, kidneys, liver,

brain)

Uncommon

MAbs stands for monoclonal antibodies. They are antibodies that are produced in laboratories.
They target cancer cells and bind to them, triggering the immune system to find these cells and
destroy them. Only two side effects, fatigue and flu-like symptoms, are common.

Cytokines:

Side Effects

Occurrence

Fatigue

Common

Flu-like symptoms

Common

Allergic reaction

Moderate

Lowered blood counts

Uncommon

Changes in blood chemistry

Uncommon

Organ damage (heart, kidneys, liver,

brain)

Uncommon

Cytokines are proteins that signal the immune system to respond to cancer cells and help
promote their destruction. Like MAbs, Cytokines only have two common side effects.

Treatment Vaccines:

Side Effects

Occurrence

Fatigue

Common

Flu-like symptoms

Common

Allergic reaction

Moderate

Cancer treatment vaccines use cancer-associated cells to trigger immune response to cancer cells.
They only have three possible side effects, two of which are common.
BCG:

Side Effects

Occurrence

Fatigue

Common

Flu-like symptoms

Common

Allergic reaction

Moderate

BCG Infection Reaction

Uncommon

Urinary problems: pain or burning

sensation, increased frequency of
urination, blood in the urine

Common

BCG stands for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. It is used to stimulate an immune response against
cancer cells. Three side effects: fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and urinary problems, are common in
this treatment.

A quick glance at each table shows that chemotherapy and radiotherapy both have a similar
number of possible side effects, this number being much larger than the possible side effects for
any of the biological therapies. Not only are there more possible side effects for chemotherapy
and radiation therapy, many of these side effects are common, and therefore more likely to occur.

In conclusion, out of the three treatments reviewed, biological therapy has the least risk of pain
or discomfort.