Nausea and vomiting in the cancer patient

Nausea and vomiting are two of the most feared cancer treatment-related side effects for cancer patients and their families. In 1983, Coates et al. found that patients receiving chemotherapy ranked nausea and vomiting as the first and second most severe side effects, respectively. Up to 20% of patients receiving highly emetogenic agents in this era postponed, or even refused, potentially curable treatments. Despite the availability of more than 20 different antiemetics, nausea and vomiting in cancer patients remain problematic and continue to pose tremendous challenges to practicing oncologists.