A common adverse effect of chemotherapy is:

A common adverse effect of chemotherapy is:

• A. Hypertension
• B. Myelosuppression
• C. Seizures
• D. Hyperlipidemia

Answer: (B)

Chemotherapy often damages rapidly dividing cells, with the bone marrow particularly affected. This bone marrow suppression, or myelosuppression, reduces white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, leading to higher infection risk, fatigue from anemia, and bleeding tendencies. This pattern is a hallmark adverse effect across many chemotherapy regimens, so it’s the best answer. Hypertension, seizures, and hyperlipidemia are not typical direct effects of standard chemotherapy, though some agents can cause neurotoxicity or other organ-specific issues in certain cases.

Chemotherapy often damages rapidly dividing cells, with the bone marrow particularly affected. This bone marrow suppression, or myelosuppression, reduces white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, leading to higher infection risk, fatigue from anemia, and bleeding tendencies. This pattern is a hallmark adverse effect across many chemotherapy regimens, so it’s the best answer. Hypertension, seizures, and hyperlipidemia are not typical direct effects of standard chemotherapy, though some agents can cause neurotoxicity or other organ-specific issues in certain cases.