The side effects of chemotherapy are primarily related to the effect of the drug on:

The side effects of chemotherapy are primarily related to the effect of the drug on all tissues and organs in the body because chemotherapy agents are designed to target rapidly dividing cells, which are characteristic of many cancer types. However, these agents do not exclusively affect cancer cells; they also impact healthy tissues that have a high turnover rate, such as those in the gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow, hair follicles, and mucous membranes. This is why patients undergoing chemotherapy often experience side effects like nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and increased susceptibility to infection. The systemic nature of chemotherapy means that while it aims to destroy cancer cells, it also inadvertently affects other fast-growing cells throughout the body, leading to a wide range of side effects.