Chemotherapy drugs are considered to be hazardous to people who handle them or come into contact with them. For patients, this means the drugs are strong enough to damage or kill cancer cells. But this also means the drugs can be a concern for others who might be exposed to them.
Your caregivers can absorb the drugs through their skin if they touch these fluids. Short-term exposure to some of these drugs can cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, belly pain, cough, dizziness, eye irritation, hair loss, headache, mouth/throat/nose sores and allergic reactions.
Chemotherapy is designed to kill cancer cells, but it may also harm normal cells in the body. These medicines can sometimes be absorbed through the skin or breathed in through the lungs. Family members can also be exposed to chemotherapy if the drugs touch foods or everyday surfaces in the home.
It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.
If chemotherapy is spilled on skin, irritation or rash may occur.
You are the only person who should be exposed to the chemo you are getting, but it can be irritating if it gets on your skin. Any spilled IV chemo, any powder or dust from a pill or capsule, or any liquid from oral or other kinds of chemo can be hazardous to others if they are around it.
When chemotherapy is spilled, it can be absorbed through the skin or the vapors can be inhaled. Acute exposure to body fluids or the chemotherapy drug itself can cause rash, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, headache, nasal sores and allergic reactions.
Having Sex During Your Cancer Treatment
We recommend using a barrier device (condom or dental dam) during treatment and for a week after each treatment during oral, vaginal, or anal sex to prevent your partner from being exposed to any medication that may be in your bodily fluids.
There's usually no medical reason to stop having sex during chemo. The drugs won't have any long term physical effects on your performance or enjoyment of sex. Cancer can't be passed on to your partner during sex.
Wait 3 days after chemotherapy before having sex. Seventy-two hours is the average amount of time that it takes the medicine to leave the body. During that time, chemotherapy medicine is present in bodily fluids. Having sex (vaginal, oral, or anal) within 72 hours of chemo treatment may expose a partner to these drugs.
If you are going to dispose of your medication at home, it is recommended you dispose of them in the household trash in the following way. Remove the drugs from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable, such as used coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter.
Short, planned delays in chemotherapy for good-risk GCT patients (less than or equal to 7 days per cycle) appear to be acceptable since they may prevent serious toxicity in this curable patient population. Delays of longer than 7 days are strongly discouraged except in extraordinary life-threatening circumstances.
For 48 hours after receiving chemotherapy, patients and caregivers should follow these precautions: Flush toilets twice each time they are used. If possible, patients should use a separate toilet from others in the home. Always wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet.
Please note: If you are in a clinical trial, you may be given separate instructions. Follow those instructions. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after you take the oral chemo medicine. To avoid touching the medicine, caregivers should place the oral chemo into a small cup and hand the cup to the patient.
It's OK to have normal contact with other people, including hugging and kissing. Ask your cancer treatment team if there are any special precautions you should take. And follow these general precautions to protect loved ones and even pets from chemo.
Is it safe to kiss others after chemo? It is generally safe to kiss others after chemotherapy as long as no active infection is present. However, it is crucial to practice proper hygiene and avoid close contact with people who are ill, to reduce the risk of infection.
Chemotherapy can be found in saliva and vaginal secretions for 48-72 hours after treatment. During this time, do not do open-mouth kissing and use a condom or dental dam for oral sex or intercourse (vaginal or anal) so that your partner is not exposed.
This is especially important: During cold and flu season, when more people are sick. During your nadir, the period of time beginning about 7-12 days after you finish each chemotherapy dose-and possibly lasting for 5-7 days-is when you may be at the greatest risk for infection.
Safety concerns for partners
Be assured that it is not possible for your partner to transmit cancer through intimate activities such as kissing or intercourse. Sexual activity will not make cancer spread, nor will it make the cancer come back. Chemotherapy drugs may stay in your partner's body fluids for some days.
You are particularly at risk of getting an infection 7 to 14 days after having chemotherapy. This is when the level of white blood cells is at its lowest. This time is called the nadir. It can vary slightly depending on the drugs used.
If chemotherapy has made you infertile, it can be difficult to tell whether this is permanent or not. Some men stay infertile but others find their sperm returns to normal and their fertility comes back. It can take a few months or sometimes years for fertility to return to normal.
Water, water, water: we know it can be difficult, but please drink plenty of water before, during and after chemo treatment. Drinking lots of water will help to flush the chemo through your system, and can also help to keep your bladder from becoming irritated.
Unfortunately, just as oral chemotherapy achieves the same effectiveness as IV chemotherapy, it can cause the same types of side effects. Every patient is different and every drug is different, but some common side effects from OAMs include nausea and vomiting, rash, diarrhea, low blood counts, and fatigue.