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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Arthritis And Chemo Treatments Be Related?

I finished my last TAC chemo treatment for breast cancer in 11/10. i had a lumpectomy in dec and am currently undergoing radiation therapy. During cycle 5 up thru today I am experiencing continuous pain in my joints (shoulder, hips, fingers, knees, bottoms of feet & toes). I can barely make it up stairs. I am 47 and did not experience any of these issues prior to chemo. I have consistently been told that it's not arthritis and that it will go away. I've also been told that there is no link between chemo and arthritis. Is this true? It certainly feels like there is a link.
Thu, 29 Oct 2015
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Arthritis can be observed during or after chemotherapy that involve drugs like doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine ect. In the TAC combination of chemotherapy drugs that you have stated, it has been used (among the others) Doxorubicin (originally called Adriamycin) that can be associated to arthritis. This kind of arthritis usually has a self-limited course and it resolves on its own although it may last several months before resolving spontaneously. Usually it is not an inflammatory arthritis meaning that the joints are NOT red, swollen, or hot. If any of these symptoms develop, then it should be performed a detailed workup in order to detect a possible inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (a very rare condition in this situation).
More over, I would suggest you to measure your bone mineral denisty (BMD) by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, previously DEXA) since in most of the patients that I have seen undergoing chemio, the pain is mostly due to the Osteoporosis that have developed secondarily to the treatment with chemiotherapeutic agents.
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
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Can Arthritis And Chemo Treatments Be Related?

Arthritis can be observed during or after chemotherapy that involve drugs like doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine ect. In the TAC combination of chemotherapy drugs that you have stated, it has been used (among the others) Doxorubicin (originally called Adriamycin) that can be associated to arthritis. This kind of arthritis usually has a self-limited course and it resolves on its own although it may last several months before resolving spontaneously. Usually it is not an inflammatory arthritis meaning that the joints are NOT red, swollen, or hot. If any of these symptoms develop, then it should be performed a detailed workup in order to detect a possible inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (a very rare condition in this situation). More over, I would suggest you to measure your bone mineral denisty (BMD) by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, previously DEXA) since in most of the patients that I have seen undergoing chemio, the pain is mostly due to the Osteoporosis that have developed secondarily to the treatment with chemiotherapeutic agents.