Guide To Chemotherapy Side Effects

Chemotherapy is a type of therapy that utilizes specific types of drugs to treat malignancies and some other severe diseases. Chemotherapy drugs are effective at treating cancer because they target and destroy all cells in the body in the process of cell division. Because malignant cells divide and multiply rapidly, the mechanism of killing all cells in the division process is successful for the elimination of cancerous cells. However, chemotherapy drugs are unable to discern healthy cells in cell division from malignant cells in the cell division process. This pitfall means healthy cells throughout the body, including those in the bone marrow, stomach, hair, mouth, skin, and reproductive organs, are also eliminated if they happen to be in the process of cell division. The harsh side effects known to occur with chemotherapy are the result of the chemotherapy drugs damaging healthy cells and tissues in the body.

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Nausea And Vomiting

A patient undergoing chemotherapy may experience nausea and vomiting as an adverse side effect. Nausea is the unpleasant sensation of needing to vomit, whereas vomiting is the mechanical expulsion of food from the stomach out of the mouth. The part of the brain that controls vomiting is called the vomiting center. Numerous mechanisms can trigger an individual's vomiting center, which can make them feel nauseous and or vomit. Certain drugs that make it into an individual's blood can trigger a part of the brain called the chemoreceptor trigger zone. Chemotherapy agents used to treat an individual's cancer can cause the activation of their chemoreceptor trigger zone when they enter the bloodstream. Other mechanisms are thought to be involved with nausea and vomiting that comes along with chemotherapy, such as anticipatory nausea and vomiting that occurs after three or four treatments. Acute vomiting occurs within twenty-four hours of the individual beginning chemotherapy, and delayed vomiting occurs anytime following the first twenty-four hours.

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