Difference between revisions of "Category:Antineoplastics by class effect"

(Per Wiktionary): A chemotherapeutic is "a chemical treatment to kill or halt the replication and/or spread of cancerous cells in a patient."

Sometimes the term chemotherapy is used to more generally describe any drug with an effect on cellular processes (including non-cancerous cells). Note that many drugs may exert an antineoplastic effect indirectly, such as immunotherapy and endocrine therapy (hormonotherapy).

The mechanism of action of a drug is usually analogous to the modality in which it used in a specific treatment scenario. For example, nearly all cytotoxic chemotherapeutics are used in a chemotherapy modality. There are a few important ambiguities. For example, steroids can be chemotherapy when used in the setting of lymphoid malignancy, hormonotherapy when used in the context of hormone-dependent cancers (e.g., prostate cancer), and supportive medications when used in other contexts (e.g., to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting).