Can chemo cause side effects for those exposed to the patient receiving it?

Sorry to hear about your sick grandmother. I'm not a doctor but I've spent some time studying this while caring for my boyfriend who received a chemo regimen. If in doubt, ask the nurses where she's getting therapy.

Probably not a concern under normal circumstances. Remember you are constantly exposed to people receiving chemo when on the bus, train etc. You just don't know it. But it is a good thing to be aware of, since these drugs are toxic. The risks of the drugs are worth it to the patients receiving the drugs, but for those around it is important to minimize exposure.

Studies have found the drugs and their metabolites are found in body fluids of people receiving the drugs, mostly in urine. It is important to avoid contact with urine for the days after the patient received chemo. As a precaution, patients are advised to sit down on the toilet while urinating, and flushing the toilet twice with the lid closed. The toilet should be cleaned with gloves. Gloves must be used when empying a bedpan etc. with urine and care be taken to avoid splashing. Linnens, bedsheets etc. soiled with urine, vomit etc. should be washed as soon as possible (or stored in sealed bags) - glvoes shuold be used when handling these sheets, and they should be washed separately from other stuff, preferably twice.

The above is the usual advice Ive seen to spouses etc. to people receiving chemo. For people caring for patients at oncology wards (who may be seeing a lot of patients receiving chemo every day during their entire work life) some extra precautions are advised:

Certain drugs (incl. cyclophosphamide and thiotepa) can also be found in smaller amounts in sweat, and can be found in clothes, linnes, bedsheets etc. from patients receiving the drugs. It is advisable to change linnes, bedsheets etc. 2-3 days after infusion of drug, preferably using gloves. The same is true for clothes worn during those days.

Remember that the drugs quickly flush out of the system (in most casea a few days), so it is only the days shortly after infusion that special precautions must be taken. Otherwise just use common sense and normal good hygiene :) And don't let this disturb your caring for your grandmother, she needs all the support she can get. Good luck :)

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I disagree with the first answer by Melanie Haiken; although it is true that chemotherapy is a systemic drug, it is excreted in body fluids and the hospital provides a list of precautions for caregivers. Thanks to CPH for a much more definitive answer.

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I also disagree with the first answer by Melanie Haiken. I am not sure what her credentials are, but she is seriously undereducated. My father has Stage 4 Colo-rectal, Stage 4 Prostate, and Stage 4 Bone Cancer. So, I have to clean up his diaper, of course soaked with blood, feces, and urine. All of his bodily fluids are extremely high in concentrations of the take home chemo drug Xeloda. This is causing not only myself, but my husband, who also cares for him, severe headaches, nausea, and diahrea. My background is in Molecular Genetics (a B.S.) and Nurse Practitioning. I also went back to school and received my B.S.N. (for nursing,) and my Master's in Nurse Practitioning. Chemotherapy can cause allergic reactions, diahrrea, birth defects, miscarriages, and cancer for the caregiver later in life. Also, the vapors from his diaper are noxious, so we wear face masks which do not even prevent the chemicals from entering our lungs. This is an unfortunate downside of being my father's caregiver, but we love him, and he wishes to remain at my house, instead of a nursing home, so that is where he will be. The doctors and nurses do not care that we have to go through this, and our two year old son has suddenly developed a horrible habit of projectile vomiting EVERY DAY. I am taking him to a specialist tomorrow to have his blood levels of the chemo drug tested. If he turns up positive, I am told by his pediatrician that it is a result of walking on the bathroom floor, because my father's urine bag is emptied into the toilet, then flushed twice. Because the urine splashes onto the floor, and the drug is so potent, my son has been exposed, even though we clean the floor at least once a day. As well, our shoes have tracked this chemical around our floors, according to the pediatrician. So, if you have children, please keep a spare pair of shoes and only use them around the part of the house your loved one lives in. I was looking on the internet and found Ms. Haiken's answer completely ridiculous. These chemo pills are very very concentrated, and should not even be handled without doubled gloves, and washing your loved one's bodily fluids off, when mixed with water, will soak into your skin, and get into your bloodstream. These chemicals cause cancer later in life, and sterility sometimes. So use caution, and keep as much of a barrier between you and the body fluids as possible. But that does not mean that you are being "mean" or "disrespectful" to your loved one! Just take care of yourself and your children as well.

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The reply provided above was helpful and very knowledgeable. While it's obvious the poster was quick to point out the "underedcuatednesss" of Ms. Haiken, let's point out the fact that she is putting herself and husband at RISK with the care of her father while he's on Xeloda.

The obvious signs have already been listed and they are experiencing these symptoms now. But, they are adults and have chosen that the risks and, perhaps, problems down the road are worth taking. Let's also point out that their 2 year old son is being exposed to this, as well. Regardless the situation, should the child be exposed to such endangerment on behalf of his parents ineptness? There is no rationlization.

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