Answer
Henri is a chef and his sense of taste is an important tool of his trade. Unfortunately, he must undergo chemotherapy for leukemia. If Henri's sense of taste is to remain normally acute, his buds and olfactory receptors must remain sensitive and undamaged. The drugs that Henri will take are not specified but it is known that most medications used in cancer chemotherapy kill taste buds and to a much lesser extent damage olfactory receptors. Some well known drugs used to treat breast breast cancer are fluorouracil and Avastin. These are well-known to affect taste sensations. The sensitivity of Henri's taste receptors will almost certainly be diminished by the cancer medications.
Work Step by Step
Cancer chemotherapy drugs are selected to kill rapidly dividing cancer sells. Taste buds are rapidly dividing cells so they are targeted and killed by most cancer therapy drugs. The damage to olfactory receptors is not as severe because olfactory receptor cells divide and grow slowly. Patients who take cancer therapy medication experience hypogeusia or r ageusai and some degree of hyposmia.. Cancer patients often report that they experience bitter or metallic taste when they eat. In such cases the unpleasant tastes are not the tastes of the food but the tastes of the medications. The medications, of course, are carried around the body by the blood. During the consumption of a meal, as the saliva is secreted, the medications get into the saliva and produce the reported bitter or metallic tastes.
The acuity of Henri's taste will almost certainly be diminished. He will experience nausea several times but he should try to avoid vomiting, if possible.
