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chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard regimen. Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent (which almost always involves combinations of drugs), or it may aim only to prolong life or to reduce symptoms (palliative chemotherapy). Chemotherapy is one of the major categories of the medical discipline specifically devoted to pharmacotherapy for cancer, which is called medical oncology.

AI overview

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs given according to a standard treatment plan, either to cure cancer or to extend life and reduce symptoms. It is one of the main approaches doctors use in the medical field of oncology to treat cancer with medication.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical intervention (new).name: Chemotherapy
Medical intervention (new).image: Chemotherapy with acral cooling.jpg
Medical intervention (new).caption: A woman being treated with docetaxel chemotherapy for breast cancer. Cold mittens and booties are placed on her hands and feet to protect the nerves there, reducing the risk of neuropathy.
Medical intervention (new).synonyms: chemo, CTX, CTx

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Image: Chemotherapy vials (4).jpg

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Commons category: Chemotherapy

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~80 min read

Article

53 sections

Contents

Treatment strategies
Effectiveness
Dosage
Types
Alkylating agents
Antimetabolites
Anti-microtubule agents
Topoisomerase inhibitors
Cytotoxic antibiotics
Delivery
Adverse effects
Immunosuppression and myelosuppression
Neutropenic enterocolitis
Gastrointestinal distress
Anemia
Nausea and vomiting
Hair loss
Secondary neoplasm
Infertility
Teratogenicity
Peripheral neuropathy
Cognitive impairment
Tumor lysis syndrome
Organ damage
Other side-effects
Limitations
Resistance
Cytotoxics and targeted therapies
Mechanism of action
Other uses
Occupational exposure and safe handling
Routes of exposure
Hazards
Safe handling in health care settings
Preparation
Administration
Employee training
Housekeeping and waste disposal
Spill control
Occupational monitoring
Available agents
History
The term ''chemotherapy''
Research
Targeted delivery vehicles
Antibody-drug conjugates
Nanoparticles
Electrochemotherapy
Hyperthermia therapy
Other animals
See also
References
External links

The term chemotherapy now means the non-specific use of intracellular poisons to inhibit mitosis (cell division) or to induce DNA damage (so that DNA repair can augment chemotherapy). This meaning excludes the more-selective agents that block extracellular signals (signal transduction). Therapies with specific molecular or genetic targets, which inhibit growth-promoting signals from classic endocrine hormones (primarily estrogens for breast cancer and androgens for prostate cancer), are now called hormonal therapies. Other inhibitions of growth-signals, such as those associated with receptor tyrosine kinases, are targeted therapy.