Ice Chemotherapy
ICE chemotherapy is a treatment used for non-Hodgkin-lymphoma. The name is derived from the drugs used in this particular type of chemotherapy. The drugs are Ifosfamide, Cisplatin, and Etoposide. The ICE chemotherapy is performed at the hospital after the patient has blood work done to verify the count of blood cells and before any other blood tests are performed. When the blood tests are considered adequate, the patient is allowed to receive the chemotherapy products prepared by the pharmaceutical companies for the chemotherapy.
The drugs are administered directly into the body with a thin plastic tube that is inserted beneath the skin into a vein near the collarbone. Some patients will have the tube inserted into the arm vein as well.
Patients have reported experiencing pain during the process of ICE chemotherapy for a short time followed by being uncomfortable. The drugs used can make a patient feel sick, so to combat this, physicians will also administer an anti-sickness drug prior to the chemotherapy intravenously. There are some oral medications used to prevent the sick feeling.
The chemotherapy drug Ifosfamide has a side effect of irritating the bladder lining resulting in bleeding. To help avoid this situation, a Mesna is added to the drug to reduce the changes of the bleeding and irritation. The Mesna is an oral drug provided by the physician, which should only be taken as directed.
Etoposide has been reportedly painful when administered. When a patient experiences any type of pain during chemotherapy, they should always tell the attending nurse or physician.
The reactions to the ICE chemotherapy differ from each person. This is also true for the side effects. Always tell the physician of any side effects to reduce the ill feelings that are experienced.
Some of the typical side effects are low resistance to other illnesses, hair loss, vomiting, bleeding, nausea, tiredness, and loss of appetite. Other side effects include loss of taste, diarrhea, sleepiness, drowsiness, confusion, or dazed feelings, and loss of balance. The side effects will generally wear off yet there are some reports of the lasting effects for women to lose the ability to conceive or damage to the kidneys.