Cancer Treatments and Their Impact on Your Immune System
Getting breast cancer doesn’t mean that your immune system is weak. However, certain breast cancer treatments can weaken your immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to infection.
Chemotherapy has the greatest impact on immunity, but surgery and some forms of radiation therapy can affect your immune system, too. You should be aware of the possible signs of infection and report them to your doctor immediately, especially if you’ve recently had surgery or are in the middle of treatment. These include:
redness, swelling, warmth, or pus at the site of injury, surgical wound, or injection
cough or shortness of breath
mucus or pus in the saliva
nasal drainage
fever of 100.5 degrees F or higher
sore throat
burning sensation while urinating
chills or shakes
ear pain
stiff or sore neck
sores or white coating in your mouth or on your tongue
bloody or cloudy urine
Infections can worsen quickly when your immune system is weak, so call your doctor if any of these symptoms occur.
In this section of Breastcancer.org, you can learn more about each treatment’s potential impact on the immune system and what you and your doctor can do about it.
— Last updated on June 29, 2022, 3:16 PM