Other causes of fever
Apart from your treatment, there are a number of other reasons why you might get a fever when you have cancer.
These can include:
- the side effects of some drugs
- blood or blood products
- a blockage in your bladder or bowel
Drug side effects
Some drugs can cause a fever, for example:
- vancomycin
- amphotericin
- allopurinol
- zoledronic acid or zoledronate (Zometa)
If you get a fever while you are having an infusion of a drug through a drip your nurse might need to stop or slow down the infusion. It will depend on how you react to the drug. Drugs affect people in different ways and not all people having these drugs will develop a fever.
You may need medicine like paracetamol, antihistamine, or steroids to help you if you do have a reaction.
Blood or blood products
You might have a reaction to a blood or blood product transfusion. The first sign is often fever and shivering. It happens because the donated blood or blood product contains cells and antibodies from the donor's immune system. Your body can react to these cells because they are different to your own cells.
Doctors try to lower the risk of transfusion reactions for patients most at risk. For example, if you're having a blood transfusion, they can irradiate the blood before transfusing it. Your nurse or doctor will explain more about this if you have irradiated blood.
Your nurses will keep a close eye on you for any signs of a reaction. It's not uncommon for your temperature to go up slightly when you have a transfusion. This is not the same as having a reaction. Your nurse will immediately stop your transfusion and give you any necessary treatment if you do react.
You might worry that the blood transfusion itself will give you an infection. This is extremely rare, as all blood is very carefully screened.
Remember transfusions are generally safe and do not normally cause any problems.
A blockage in your bladder or bowel
When a blockage (obstruction) occurs in your bowel (intestine) or bladder, waste matter is not able to move through as it normally does. This means bacteria can start to grow and cause an infection.
Other conditions
Other medical conditions that can cause fever in people with cancer include:
- blood clots
- some disorders of the connective tissue
- hepatitis (inflammation of your liver)
- Crohn's disease (a condition causing inflammation of your gut)
