Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, is the treatment of disease by chemicals especially by killing micro-organisms or cancerous cells. In popular usage, it refers to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen.

What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy literally refers to the treatment of certain diseases using specific chemicals that are destructive to malignant cells or to the causative agent of a disease such as a bacteria or virus. Therefore, the treatment can be broadly divided into two categories - cancer chemotherapy and antimicrobial chemotherapy.

History of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy Principles

Chemotherapy Treatment Schemes

Chemotherapy Types

What is 'Chemo Brain'?

Does Scalp Cooling Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy?

How Chemotherapy Affects Daily Living

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Gene therapy trial: restored hearing in children with hereditary deafness

The safety and effectiveness of binaural adeno-associated virus 1 (AAV1)-human otoferlin (hOTOF) therapy in five children with autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9).

7 Jun 2024

Innovative nanotechnology offers new hope for fibrosis treatment

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso are developing a new therapeutic approach that uses nanoparticles for the treatment of skin and lung fibrosis, conditions that can result in severe damage to the body's tissues.

6 Jun 2024

New molecular portrait of KRAS in pancreatic cancer may guide better treatments

Researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues have established the most comprehensive molecular portrait of the workings of KRAS, a key cancer-causing gene or "oncogene," and how its activities impact pancreatic cancer outcomes.

6 Jun 2024

New approach reduces the required drug dosage for cancer treatment

Traditional chemotherapy often poses significant challenges, including severe side effects, damage to healthy tissue and limited efficacy.

6 Jun 2024

Precision medicine revolutionizes outcomes for high-risk pediatric cancer patients

In a world-first, Australian researchers and clinicians have shown that precision medicine – where treatment is tailored to an individual child's cancer – leads to significantly improved outcomes in children with high risk cancer.

6 Jun 2024

Phase III trial highlights benefits of intensity modulated proton therapy for oropharyngeal cancer

According to preliminary data from a multi-institution Phase III trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) achieved similar clinical outcomes and offered significant patient benefits when compared to traditional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as part of chemoradiation treatment for patients with oropharyngeal (head and neck) cancer.

6 Jun 2024

Ultrasound technology breaks blood-brain barrier for glioblastoma treatment

In a major advance for the treatment of the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma, Northwestern Medicine scientists used ultrasound technology to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and provide a small dose of a chemotherapy and immunotherapy drug cocktail.

6 Jun 2024

Researchers identify a potential metabolic target for cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology have identified a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.

6 Jun 2024

Short course of immunotherapy prior to surgery effective in treating a subset of colon cancer patients

A short course of immunotherapy was found to be highly effective in a subset of patients with colon cancer.

5 Jun 2024

Insomnia linked to higher ovarian cancer risk and mortality in new genetic study

Researchers found a significant genetic link between insomnia and increased risk and mortality in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

4 Jun 2024

Common anti-inflammatory drug could combat deadly gut fungus, study finds

A team of UC Davis Health researchers discovered that a common anti-inflammatory drug, mesalamine, can replace the work of good bacteria in fighting the nasty fungus Candida albicans in the gut.

4 Jun 2024

Novel combination treatment outperforms standard therapy in patients with EGFR NSCLC

The combination of the antibody amivantamab and lazertinib, a drug targeting EGFR, shows better clinical benefits compared to standard treatment in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR gene mutations who also present one of these poor prognosti markers: brain and/or liver metastases, p53 gene co-mutations, or the presence of circulating tumor DNA.

4 Jun 2024

Blocking CDK7 protein could prevent heart damage associated with cancer treatment

Blocking a protein known as CDK7 could prevent heart damage associated with a commonly used cancer chemotherapy medication, according to a study led by scientists at Washington State University.

4 Jun 2024

Research reveals new pathways for treating never-smoker lung cancer

The primary cause of lung cancer is smoking. However, the incidence of lung cancer among never-smokers has been steadily increasing, especially among women.

4 Jun 2024

Headband meditation may offer pain relief and improved function after Cushing's surgery

Patients with Cushing's syndrome who are recovering from surgery and wear a headband that tracks brain activity while they meditate may have less pain and better physical functioning compared with patients not using the device, suggests a study being presented Monday at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Mass.

3 Jun 2024

Study: One out of five breast cancer survivors may experience weight gain

Almost one out of five breast cancer survivors may experience weight gain of more than 10%, suggests a study presented Monday at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Mass.

3 Jun 2024

Experimental treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer shows promise in phase 2 clinical trial

Clinicians at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center reported promising preliminary findings based on outcomes in the first six patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer enrolled in a phase 2 clinical trial of the experimental drug BXCL701 in combination with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

3 Jun 2024

New treatment approach could offer longer lasting protection to people with breast cancer

Killing breast cancer cells in a way that trains the immune system to recognize and destroy residual cancer cells could offer longer lasting protection to people with the disease, according to new research funded by Breast Cancer Now.

3 Jun 2024

Researchers explore gut bacteria's role in fighting breast cancer

Researchers are investigating the function of gut bacteria in breast cancer, and how we could use it to fight against the disease, thanks to new funding from Breast Cancer Now.

3 Jun 2024

Precision medicine doubles progression-free survival in young cancer patients

Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children in most developed countries, and at least a quarter of these patients are diagnosed with aggressive high-risk or relapsed cancers, with an expected five-year survival rate of less than 30%.

31 May 2024