Chemotherapy
By
Cancer Council NSW
A cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Chemotherapy may be given alone or in combination with other treatments.
There are many different types of chemotherapy/chemotherapeutic drugs, these include:
- Alkylating agents: damage cell DNA to prevent cancer cells from dividing
- Antimetabolites: prevent cancer cells from making or utilising the genetic material they need to create new cells.
- Topoisomerase inhibitors: Topoisomerase inhibitors prevent an enzyme called topoisomerase and by this interfere with DNA regulation in cancer cells.
- Mitotic inhibitors: These drugs work by interfering with a cancer cell’s ability to divide and make new cells, a process called mitosis
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