The biggest advancement in the field of cancer treatment is the fast expanding arsenal of medicines in the treatment of cancer. These include cytotoxic agents as well as biologic agents and "targeted cancer therapies".

    These newer chemotherapies are associated with higher effectiveness, less side effects and improved overall results. Some of these drugs have no hair loss, nausea, vomiting or other significant side effects.

     The various applications of chemotherapy include:

    1.Upfront or induction chemotherapy to shrink the tumour size before definitive local treatment with either surgery or radiotherapy;

    2.Concurrent chemo-radiation where the drugs are used as radio-sensitisers to improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy;

    3.Adjuvant chemotherapy (therapy after the initial treatment of cancer to suppress the secondary tumour formation) where the drugs are given after surgery or radiotherapy to treat micro-metastases which cannot be seen, so that patients will have a higher chance of cure;

    4.Curative chemotherapy in the treatment of cancers which are very chemo-sensitive like lymphoma, germ cell tumours and leukemias;

    5.High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell rescue;

    6.Palliative chemotherapy for advanced cancers aimed at killing the cancer cells, controlling disease, preserving quality-of-life and prolonging overall survival.