chemotherapy
noun
che·mo·ther·a·py
ˌkē-mō-ˈther-ə-pē 
: the therapeutic use of chemical agents to treat disease
especially
: the administration of one or more cytotoxic drugs to destroy or inhibit the growth and division of malignant cells in the treatment of cancer
Note: Chemotherapy may be used alone as a primary treatment or may be used before, after, or in conjunction with surgery or radiation.
called also chemo
Examples of chemotherapy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After completing surgery and chemotherapy, nearly one-third of people with high-risk colon cancer may eventually experience recurrence of their disease.
—
Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 3 June 2025
In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2022, researchers in Australia used tumor DNA in the blood to predict which people with early colon cancer would need chemotherapy after surgery — and who could skip it without increasing their risk of relapse.
—Liz Szabo, NBC news, 1 June 2025
Education Department freezes Harvard's research funding, seeking compliance with Trump administration
Harvard has said the loss of research funding interrupts work on topics including tuberculosis, chemotherapy, pandemic preparedness, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 May 2025
The victory came shortly after Connolly announced that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
—Olivia Diaz, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
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Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 3 June 2025
In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2022, researchers in Australia used tumor DNA in the blood to predict which people with early colon cancer would need chemotherapy after surgery — and who could skip it without increasing their risk of relapse.
—Liz Szabo, NBC news, 1 June 2025
Education Department freezes Harvard's research funding, seeking compliance with Trump administration
Harvard has said the loss of research funding interrupts work on topics including tuberculosis, chemotherapy, pandemic preparedness, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 May 2025
The victory came shortly after Connolly announced that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
—Olivia Diaz, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for chemotherapy
Cite this Entry
“Chemotherapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chemotherapy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chemotherapy
noun
che·mo·ther·a·py
ˌke-mō-ˈther-ə-pē
: the use of chemical agents in the treatment or control of disease (as cancer)
chemotherapeutic
adjective
-ˌther-ə-ˈpyüt-ik
Medical Definition
chemotherapy
noun
che·mo·ther·a·py
-ˈther-ə-pē
plural chemotherapies
: the therapeutic use of chemical agents to treat disease
Pyrazinamide is one of the most important drugs in modern chemotherapy of tuberculosis …—Max Salfinger et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association
Max Salfinger et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association
especially
: the administration of one or more cytotoxic drugs to destroy or inhibit the growth and division of malignant cells in the treatment of cancer
Cancer cells mutate at a furious rate, and they can evolve the means to resist most chemotherapy drugs, requiring higher and more toxic doses to achieve an effect. —Shannon Brownlee and Nancy Shute, U.S. News & World Report
Shannon Brownlee and Nancy Shute, U.S. News & World Report Neutropenia and infection are major dose-limiting side effects of chemotherapy. —Jeffrey Crawford et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
Jeffrey Crawford et al., The New England Journal of Medicine called also chemo
Note: Chemotherapy may be used alone as a primary treatment or may be used before, after, or in conjunction with surgery or radiation.
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