Stage 4 prostate cancer

Hi John

Thanks for getting in touch with Macmillan Cancer Support. My name is Sarah one of the Cancer Information Nurses on our Support Line.

I am sorry to hear that you have been ill this week after your 4th dose of Carbazetaxel. Chemotherapy can cause some difficult side effects; it is important first to make sure that your team are aware.

If you haven’t already, we would encourage you to get in touch with the 24-hour chemotherapy number you should have been given. You will need to be assessed as chemotherapy can cause some serious side effects.

Sometimes you can find an increase in side effects such as sickness and tiredness the more treatments you have. Your team can adjust some of the supportive medications to make sure that it doesn’t impact your quality of life. They may also think about adding a dose reduction to the chemotherapy drug which can help too.

You can ask for a break from treatment if you are struggling. It is a good conversation to have with your consultant or clinical nurse. They will want to make sure that you complete your treatment but not at the detriment to your health.

You may find it helpful to chat in our online community forums with others who are going through treatment. We have forums for each cancer type and also a chemotherapy group too.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk things through. Sometimes it’s better to talk to one of our nurses so we can gain a better understanding of the current situation and give you the best guidance.

I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

Best wishes,

Sarah

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref/ SS/BL