Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to try to control or cure cancer. People often shorten it to chemo. The drugs travel through the whole body, so they can hurt healthy cells as well as cancer cells — which is why someone may lose hair, feel very tired, or feel sick.

Chemotherapy「chemotherapy」化療 is the use of drugs是用藥物 to try to control or cure cancer來嘗試控制或治癒癌症。People often shorten it人們常常把它簡稱 to chemo為「chemo」。The drugs travel through the whole body這些藥物會跑遍全身，so they can hurt healthy cells as well as cancer cells所以除了癌細胞，也可能傷害到健康的細胞——which is why someone may lose hair, feel very tired, or feel sick這就是為什麼有人會掉頭髮、覺得非常疲累，或覺得噁心想吐。

It is not surgery (the doctor does not cut the cancer out) and it is not radiotherapy (no rays). A person may have chemotherapy alone, or before or after those other treatments.

It is not surgery它不是「surgery」手術 (the doctor does not cut the cancer out)（醫生不會把癌症切除），and it is not radiotherapy也不是「radiotherapy」放射治療 (no rays)（沒有用到射線）。A person may have chemotherapy alone一個人可能只單獨接受「chemotherapy」，or before or after those other treatments也可能在那些其他治療之前或之後接受。

Though the pieces of the word just mean ‘chemical treatment,’ in ordinary language it is almost always about cancer, not about taking antibiotics or cleaning a wound. It is a hospital word; families usually just say chemo.

Though the pieces of the word just mean雖然這個詞拆開來看，字面意思只是 'chemical treatment,'「化學治療」，in ordinary language在一般語言裡 it is almost always about cancer它幾乎都是指癌症治療，not about taking antibiotics or cleaning a wound而不是吃抗生素或清理傷口。It is a hospital word這是一個醫院用語；families usually just say家屬通常就直接說 chemo「chemo」。