Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. In its modern-day use, it refers almost exclusively to cytostatic drugs used to treat cancer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In its non-oncological use, the term may also refer to antibiotics (antibacterial chemotherapy). In that sense, the first modern chemotherapeutic agent was Paul Ehrlich's arsphenamine, an arsenic compound discovered in 1909 and used to treat syphilis. This was later followed by sulfonamides discovered by Domagk and penicillin G discovered by Alexander Fleming.

Related Topics:
Antibiotic - Paul Ehrlich - Arsphenamine - 1909 - Syphilis - Sulfonamide - Domagk - Penicillin - Alexander Fleming

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other uses of cytostatic chemotherapy agents (including the ones mentioned below) are the treatment of autoimmune diseases and the suppression of transplant rejections (see immunosuppression and DMARDs).

Related Topics:
Autoimmune disease - Transplant rejection - Immunosuppression - DMARD

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~