That's a question I've never considered before. I always sort of assumed that Chemotherapy was a drug in and of itself. Something called Chemo that you take in a therapeutic sense when you have cancer.
But now we're talking about specific drugs that will be given to my mother, and how they together are called Chemotherapy. I've also read about some other different drugs being used for different forms of cancer. So what then does the word Chemotherapy mean?
From dictionary.com:
–noun Medicine/Medical .
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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che·mo·ther·a·py definition
Pronunciation: /-ˈther-ə-pē/
Function: n
pl -pies ; : the use of chemical agents in the treatment or control of disease or mental disorder
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chemotherapy che·mo·ther·a·py (kē'mō-thěr'ə-pē, kěm'ō-)
n.
1.
The treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that are selectively 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 virus or other microorganism.
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chemotherapy (kē'mō-thěr'ə-pē) Pronunciation Key
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 [(kee-moh- ther -uh-pee)]
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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