Abstract

The paper evaluates the effect of frequency and severity of adverse reactions on the course of cancer treatment of 109 children admitted to the Department of Paediatrics, Haematology and Oncology in the years 1988-1993. The World Health Organization (WHO) scale was used to assess the severity of adverse reactions, while the laboratory findings not included in the WHO scale were compared to normal values as defined by the local laboratory. The compilications were analysed in three groups of patients: (1) patients in whom the treatment had been completed (n=33); (2) patients who had died prior to the treatment completion (n=28); (3) patients currently undergoing the treatment (n=48). Treament programmes were more aggressive in Groups 2 and 3. A high incidence of myelosuppression and neutropenia-related infections continues to be observed, while the more intensive cancer therapy in recent years has been related to the increased incidence and severity of hepatic, renal and gastrointestinal complaints. Those complications often necessitated the modification of medication schemes and even lead to the patients' deaths prior to completion of the treatment.

Keywords: chemotherapy, adverse reactions, Neoplasms