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.

This information is provided by Breastcancer.org.