chemotherapy

American  

[kee-moh-ther-uh-pee, kem-oh-] / ˌki moʊˈθɛr ə pi, ˌkɛm oʊ- /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the treatment of disease by means of chemicals that have a specific toxic effect upon the disease-producing microorganisms or that selectively destroy cancerous tissue.

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chemotherapy British  

/ kiːmə-, ˌkiːməʊˈθɛrəpɪ /

noun

1. treatment of disease, esp cancer, by means of chemical agents Compare radiotherapy

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chemotherapy Scientific  

/ kē′mō-thĕr′ə-pē /

1. The treatment of disease, especially cancer, using drugs that are destructive to malignant cells and tissues.

2. The treatment of disease using chemical agents or drugs that are selectively toxic to the causative agent of the disease, such as a microorganism.

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chemotherapy Cultural  

1. The treatment of disease with chemicals. The term chemotherapy often refers to a kind of treatment for cancer in which chemicals are administered to destroy cancer cells.

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Discover More

There are often side effects to chemotherapy, a common one being the temporary loss of hair.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chemotherapist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of chemotherapy

First recorded in 1905–10; chemo- + therapy

Explanation

Chemotherapy is a common treatment for cancer. Patients who receive chemotherapy take strong anti-cancer drugs meant to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy is given through an IV directly into a patient's veins or in pill form. While chemotherapy is a powerful tool for keeping cancer cells from reproducing, it can often make people feel quite sick because it kills other cells as well. The word literally means "treatment of diseases by chemicals," from the German Chemotherapie and its roots, the scientific prefix chemo-, "chemical," and the Greek therapeia, "healing."

Example Sentences

According to researchers, as many as 80% of chemotherapy patients experience some degree of cancer-related cognitive impairment.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

The study enrolled 86 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy who reported cognitive difficulties.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

She went into remission after chemotherapy and later had a stem cell transplant, but was told in May the cancer had returned and that treatment options in the UK were unlikely to be curative.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

PD-1 drugs like Keytruda revolutionized cancer care by unleashing the immune system rather than poisoning tumors with chemotherapy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

As far as we knew, she was getting good medical care, and the chemotherapy seemed to be working.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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