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'?

Chemotherapy Treatment Schemes

How Chemotherapy Affects Daily Living

History of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy Principles

Does Scalp Cooling Prevent Hair Loss During Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy Types

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Probiotics improve ovarian damage in premature menopausal mice

Findings suggest probiotics could mitigate ovarian decline and improve microbiota in POI mice, paving the way for new treatments in women's health.

4 Jul 2025

New lab model brings hope for aggressive blood cancer research

Researchers working on an incurable blood cancer can now use a new lab model which could make testing potential new treatments and diagnostics easier and quicker, new research has found.

3 Jul 2025

Measuring tumor force offers new clues for brain cancer treatment

As brain tumors grow, they must do one of two things: push against the brain or use finger-like extensions to invade and destroy surrounding tissue.

3 Jul 2025

Scientists reveal how chemotherapy causes genetic damage in healthy blood

For the first time, scientists have systematically studied the genetic effects of chemotherapy on healthy tissues.

2 Jul 2025

Experimental medication sensitizes glioblastoma to treatment and blocks tumor spread

A potential treatment for glioblastoma crafted by scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute renders the deadly brain cancer newly sensitive to both radiation and chemotherapy drugs, and blocks the cancer's ability to invade other tissue, a new study shows.

2 Jul 2025

Advancing treatment for urothelial cancer with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab

A new review was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on June 17, 2025, titled "Optimizing enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab therapy."

2 Jul 2025

A Texas boy needed protection from measles. The vaccine cost $1,400.

In the early days of the West Texas measles outbreak, Thang Nguyen eyed the rising number of cases and worried. His 4-year-old son was at risk because he had received only the first of the vaccine's two doses.

30 Jun 2025

Organ chip technology accurately predicts chemotherapy response in esophageal adenocarcinoma patients

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of two major forms of esophageal cancer, is the sixth most deadly cancer worldwide for which no effective targeted therapy exists.

27 Jun 2025

FAM111B identified as a key driver of glioma progression and therapeutic target

Gliomas are among the deadliest brain tumors, with limited treatment options and poor survival rates. Scientists from China identified FAM111B, a DNA-repair-associated protein, as a key driver of glioma progression.

27 Jun 2025

Study maps HER2 mutations in lung cancer patients from Northeastern Brazil

A new research paper was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on June 17, 2025, titled "Molecular landscape of HER2-mutated non-small cell lung cancer in Northeastern Brazil: Clinical, histopathological, and genomic insights."

27 Jun 2025

Insilico Medicine begins clinical trial for AI-designed cancer drug ISM3412

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announces that the first patient has been dosed in a global multicenter clinical trial (NCT06414460) to evaluate ISM3412, a potentially best-in-class, AI-empowered MAT2A inhibitor with novel structure, in patients with locally advanced and metastatic solid tumors.

27 Jun 2025

Study finds overlap between chemotherapy side effects and brain aging

While chemotherapy can be lifesaving, it also damages DNA and leads to cognitive issues known as "chemo brain." These effects resemble the memory and learning problems seen in older adults, prompting University of Oklahoma researchers to investigate this unique overlap of cognitive decline.

26 Jun 2025

Epigenetic enzyme SETD1B drives aggressive growth in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow that progresses rapidly, making immediate treatment essential.

26 Jun 2025

Targeting the tumor microenvironment to improve osteosarcoma outcomes

The complex tumor microenvironment (TME) in osteosarcoma is emerging as a critical factor in disease progression and treatment resistance.

26 Jun 2025

Fusion genes found to be pivotal players in cancer development

Fusion genes, arising from abnormal chromosomal rearrangements, are gaining recognition as pivotal players in cancer development. These genetic alterations result in the creation of hybrid genes with altered functions, often driving tumor progression.

25 Jun 2025

New AI tool characterizes the diversity of individual cells within tumors

A multinational team of researchers, co-led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has developed and tested a new AI tool to better characterize the diversity of individual cells within tumors, opening doors for more targeted therapies for patients.

24 Jun 2025

CIK treatment enhances survival in early and advanced colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of death from cancer in the United States (US) and the most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide.

24 Jun 2025

New genomic test predicts chemotherapy resistance in cancer patients

Chemotherapy seeks to destroy tumor cells and has been a standard treatment for cancer for decades.

24 Jun 2025

Capsule sponge test offers less invasive option for monitoring Barrett's esophagus

Endoscopies could be replaced by far less invasive capsule sponge tests for half of all patients with Barrett's esophagus, a known precursor to esophageal cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital and Queen Mary University of London.

23 Jun 2025

New DNA test predicts chemotherapy resistance in cancer patients

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and Cambridge-based startup Tailor Bio, have created a test which can successfully predict whether cancer will resist common forms of chemotherapy treatment.

23 Jun 2025