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Cancer chemotherapy are drugs that destroy cancer cells. Two of the medical terms often used to describe cancer chemotherapy are antineoplastic (anti-cancer) and cytotoxic (cell-killing).  In the 1940's several patients with advanced lymphomas were given nitrogen mustard (by vein, rather than by breathing the irritating gas). Their improvement, although temporary, was remarkable. That experience provided the impetus for the study of other substances that might have similar effects against cancer - as a result, many additional drugs have been developed to treat many other types of cancer.

Chemotherapy is sometimes the first choice for treating many cancers. It differs from surgery or radiation in that it is almost always used as a systemic treatment. This means the drugs travel throughout the whole body or system rather than being localized to one area such as the breast, lung, or colon. This is important because chemotherapy can reach cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body.

There are now well over 90 drugs used for chemotherapy and many more are expected to become available soon. These chemotherapy drugs vary widely in their chemical composition, how they are taken, their usefulness in treating specific forms of cancer, and their side effects.