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.

What is 'Chemo Brain'?

How Chemotherapy Affects Daily Living

Does Scalp Cooling Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy Principles

Chemotherapy Types

History of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy Treatment Schemes

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Personalized radiotherapy reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence

The chances of breast cancer recurring remain very low when patients are treated with radiotherapy that is tailored to their individual risk following chemotherapy and surgery. These are the findings of a ten-year study presented at the 15th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC15) in Barcelona today (Wednesday).

24 Mar 2026

New mechanism driving glioblastoma growth offers potential treatment targets

Australian researchers have uncovered a critical mechanism driving the growth and spread of glioblastoma – one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of brain cancer – potentially paving the way for more effective treatments.

23 Mar 2026

Home-based chemotherapy proves to be safe and feasible in pilot study

In a study published in NEJM Catalyst, Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that chemotherapy can be safely delivered in patients' homes.

19 Mar 2026

Tumor debulking fails to improve survival in colorectal cancer

Research shows tumor debulking in advanced colorectal cancer does not enhance survival outcomes and may increase adverse effects, questioning its efficacy.

19 Mar 2026

New nanomaterial enhances bioimaging and targeted cancer drug delivery

The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle with enhanced intrinsic luminescence.

18 Mar 2026

Protein targeted by cancer drugs may help the body fight influenza

A protein already targeted by FDA-approved cancer drugs may also help the body fight influenza, according to new research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX).

18 Mar 2026

Combination therapy shows promise for leptomeningeal metastasis in breast cancer

Patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) have historically had few treatment options. Now, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a combination of targeted therapies, tucatinib and trastuzumab, plus the chemotherapy drug, capecitabine, may improve symptoms and extend survival in some breast cancer patients with LM.

18 Mar 2026

Why are men missing cancer tests despite higher positive rates?

A study highlights a gap in cancer prevention, showing men undergo genetic testing less often yet are more likely to carry high-risk cancer variants.

18 Mar 2026

Study: Women survive cancer more but face higher treatment toxicity

Women are more likely to survive cancer than men but face a higher risk of serious and adverse side effects from treatment, according to a landmark international study from Adelaide University.

17 Mar 2026

Anti-aging drug combination causes brain damage in mice

A two-drug combination frequently used in anti-aging research causes brain damage in mice, University of Connecticut researchers report in the March 16 issue of PNAS.

17 Mar 2026

New CAR-T cell therapy shows promise for treating osteosarcoma

Finding an effective treatment for osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer in children and young adults, has puzzled medical researchers for 40 years.

17 Mar 2026

Exercise cuts 'chemo brain' and fatigue in cancer patients

Implementing a simple exercise plan during chemotherapy may ease cognitive impairment and fatigue, promoting better health outcomes for cancer patients.

17 Mar 2026

New insight into origins of rare liver tumors in children

Liver cancer in children is rare, but when it occurs the two main types are hepatoblastoma (HB) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

16 Mar 2026

New CAR-NKT cell therapy shows promise against aggressive endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States and is one of the few cancers in which survival rates have steadily declined over the last few decades.

16 Mar 2026

Clinical trial tests a newer, targeted therapy for IDH mutant astrocytoma

A new clinical trial led by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology will investigate if a combination of drug therapies after radiation therapy improves outcomes for people with newly-diagnosed, grade 3 IDH-mutant astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer.

16 Mar 2026

Exercise during chemotherapy supports physical and cognitive health

Researchers recommended a tailored, scientifically validated exercise program to individuals receiving chemotherapy for cancer, and those who were on a two-week chemotherapy schedule and followed the exercise prescription were able to maintain their walking-step goals, use resistance bands, and stay mentally sharper compared to patients who did not exercise.

13 Mar 2026

Researchers achieve breakthrough in the production of vital chemotherapy agent

An international team of researchers has achieved a breakthrough in the production of doxorubicin, a vital chemotherapy agent.

13 Mar 2026

Scientists win awards for the discovery of genomic imprinting and tumor’s power grid

For their discovery of genomic imprinting, developmental biologists Davor Solter and Azim Surani will receive the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, endowed with €120,000, on March 14 at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.

13 Mar 2026

Defining the limits of immunotherapy in early small-cell lung cancer

Immunotherapy given during and after chemoradiation did not improve survival for study participants with limited-stage, small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) according to the results of an international clinical trial, NRG-LU005, led by NRG Oncology in collaboration with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

13 Mar 2026

Topical cream activates immune response to suppress skin cancer growth

A topical cream activated the skin's immune defenses and suppressed tumor growth in two preclinical models of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), one of the most common cancers in the world, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

12 Mar 2026