Chemotherapy is the systemic treatment of cancer with cytotoxic and related pharmacological agents that kill or arrest the growth of malignant cells, typically by targeting the mechanisms of rapid cell division such as DNA synthesis, replication, and mitosis. Conventional chemotherapeutic classes include alkylating …
Chemotherapy is the systemic treatment of cancer with cytotoxic and related pharmacological agents that kill or arrest the growth of malignant cells, typically by targeting the mechanisms of rapid cell division such as DNA synthesis, replication, and mitosis. Conventional chemotherapeutic classes include alkylating agents, antimetabolites, antimicrotubule agents, topoisomerase inhibitors, and cytotoxic antibiotics, and they are administered alone or in defined combination regimens, often integrated with surgery, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy in multimodal cancer care. Because cytotoxic agents act on dividing cells broadly, treatment is shaped by the balance between antitumor efficacy and toxicity to normal proliferating tissues, by drug resistance, and by intent, which may be curative, adjuvant, neoadjuvant, or palliative. The field increasingly incorporates molecularly targeted antibodies and agents directed at specific tumor markers, broadening the concept of systemic therapy beyond classical cytotoxicity. The peer-reviewed research collected under this topic spans chemotherapy regimens and outcomes across solid and hematologic malignancies, targeted antibody therapy in marker-defined cancers, management of advanced and metastatic disease, treatment-related complications, and adjunctive and supportive considerations. Understanding chemotherapy, its mechanisms, regimens, resistance, and toxicity, is central to medical oncology and cancer pharmacology, guiding the rational selection and sequencing of systemic treatments to maximize tumor control while limiting harm to the patient.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 16 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Chemotherapy, linking to each citing work.