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The risk that radiation therapy will cause nausea and vomiting depends on where the radiation therapy is targeted and how much of the body is receiving treatment. The risks and recommended treatments of vomiting caused by radiation therapy are summarized in Table 3.
|
Risk of Nausea and Vomiting From Radiation |
Area of the Body Being Treated |
Recommended Treatment |
| High | Total body irradiation (entire body) or total nodal (lymph node) irradiation | One of these drugs: granisetron or ondansetron (preferred) or dolasetron, tropisetron, or palonosetron before each dose and after the last, with dexamethasone before treatments 1 through 5 |
| Moderate | Upper abdomen (trunk or stomach), upper body, or half of the body | One of these drugs: granisetron or ondansetron (preferred) or dolasetron, tropisetron, or palonosetron before each treatment with dexamethasone before treatments 1 through 5 |
| Low |
Lower thorax (chest) Head and neck |
One of these drugs: granisetron or ondansetron (preferred) or dolasetron, tropisetron, or palonosetron as needed |
| Minimal | Arms and legs Breast |
One of these drugs: granisetron or ondansetron (preferred) or dolasetron, tropisetron, or palonosetron and metoclopramide (Reglan) or prochlorperazine (Compazine) as needed |