chemotherapy
🇬🇧 /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛrəpi/
🇺🇸 /ˌkiːmoʊˈθɛrəpiː/
📖 Definitions
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noun
The treatment of disease, especially cancer, using chemical substances such as cytotoxic drugs that destroy or inhibit the growth of abnormal cells.; The use of chemical agents to treat infectious diseases caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or parasites.; A specific course or regimen of chemotherapeutic drugs administered to a patient.; The branch of medicine concerned with the use of chemical compounds to treat disease.
🔗 Details
Word forms
countable / uncountable
Plural: chemotherapies
Collocations
undergo chemotherapyreceive chemotherapychemotherapy treatmentcourse of chemotherapyround of chemotherapychemotherapy session
Derivatives
chemotherapeuticchemotherapistchemo
Synonyms
chemodrug therapycytotoxic therapychemical therapy
Commonly confused
radiotherapy
EN: 'Radiotherapy' uses ionizing radiation to treat cancer, while 'chemotherapy' uses chemical drugs.
immunotherapy
EN: 'Immunotherapy' harnesses the body's immune system to fight disease, while 'chemotherapy' uses cytotoxic drugs to kill rapidly dividing cells.
Spelling tips
EN: Remember the linking 'o' between 'chem' and 'therapy': chemo-therapy, not 'chemtherapy'.
💬 Examples
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After her diagnosis, she underwent six rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor.
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The development of chemotherapy for tuberculosis revolutionized the treatment of the disease in the mid-20th century.
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The oncologist adjusted her chemotherapy after the blood work showed low white cell counts.
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Advances in chemotherapy have significantly improved survival rates for many types of cancer over the past few decades.