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How Chemotherapy Causes
Nausea and Vomiting
Understanding exactly how and why your chemotherapy is affecting your
body will help you select the best treatment to help you control your symptoms.
Nausea and vomiting are controlled by the nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), but
in different ways. Nausea is controlled by a part of the nervous system that controls the
body’s automatic functions, like breathing. Vomiting is controlled by two areas of the brain:
the vomiting center, which has overall control of vomiting, and the Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone
(CTZ), which sends signals to the vomiting center, much like a radio transmitter.
The brain’s vomiting center gets
information from a number of places, including:
- the Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone (CTZ)
- senses, such as taste and smell
- emotions, such as fear and distress
- the inner ear
- the stomach
Chemotherapy sends its messages to the
brain’s vomiting center by way of the:
-
Chemoreceptor
Trigger Zone (CTZ): Chemotherapy drugs cause
the body to release certain chemicals, like
serotonin, dopamine,
and histamine which act as
"messengers" that help activate
the brain's CTZ and vomiting center.
OR
- The stomach: Chemotherapy drugs
damage stomach cells, causing the release of serotonin.
Again, serotonin plays the role of messenger,
helping to signal the brain's vomiting center.
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