ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cancer and nausea

Cancer is when some cells in our bodies grow and divide in an uncontrolled, abnormal way. This can make us sick because these cells can invade and damage healthy tissue. Nausea is a feeling of wanting to throw up, and it can happen to people with cancer.

When someone has cancer, the treatments used to try and get rid of the cancer cells can also affect the healthy cells in our bodies. Some of the treatments used to fight cancer can damage the cells in our stomach or the part of our brain that controls nausea. This can cause someone with cancer to feel sick to their stomach and possibly throw up.

Sometimes, the body's immune response to the cancer can also lead to nausea. The immune system is the body's defense system that protects us from harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses. When we have cancer, our immune system may try to fight the cancer cells, but this can also cause inflammation and damage to the healthy cells in our stomach and brain.

Overall, cancer and nausea are related because cancer treatments and the body's immune response to cancer can cause damage to healthy cells in our stomach and brain, leading to the feeling of wanting to throw up. It is important for cancer patients to talk to their doctors about ways to manage nausea so they can feel better during their treatment.