Is It Chemotherapy? Targeted Therapy, Hormone Therapy and Chemo Explained Drug by Drug

“Is this chemo?” is one of the first questions people ask when they are given a cancer tablet. The answer matters, because many people link the word chemotherapy with hair loss and feeling very unwell. In fact, many modern cancer tablets are not chemotherapy at all. This guide explains the main types of cancer medicine and which type common medicines belong to.

Why the label matters

Knowing the type of medicine helps you understand how it works, what side effects to expect, and what questions to ask. But the label is not the whole story. Some medicines that are not chemotherapy can still have serious side effects, and some chemotherapy comes as a simple tablet¹².

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy works by killing or stopping the growth of cancer cells and other cells that grow quickly¹. Because it also affects healthy fast-growing cells, such as those lining the mouth and gut and those that grow hair, it can cause mouth sores, nausea and hair loss. Tiredness is the most common side effect, and side effects often get better after treatment ends¹.

Chemotherapy is not always a drip. It can also come as pills, capsules or liquids that you swallow¹. Two common examples:

• Capecitabine is a chemotherapy tablet. The body turns it into a well-known chemotherapy drug called fluorouracil, which stops cells making and repairing their DNA⁴.
• Temozolomide is a chemotherapy capsule that interferes with the DNA in cancer cells so they cannot divide⁵.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy acts on specific proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide and spread². Many are tablets. They are not chemotherapy, but they can still cause serious side effects, which depend on the medicine². Examples include:

• Kinase inhibitors such as imatinib and osimertinib⁶⁷, and ibrutinib⁹.
• CDK4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib⁸. See our guide to Ibrance, Kisqali and Verzenio.
• BCL-2 inhibitors such as venetoclax¹⁰.
• PARP inhibitors such as olaparib, used for some cancers with certain gene changes¹³.
• Monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab, given as an injection or drip for cancers with a lot of a protein called HER2¹².

Hormone therapy

Some cancers, including many breast and prostate cancers, use hormones to grow. Hormone therapy lowers those hormones or stops them from working. It is a type of targeted therapy, not chemotherapy².

• Breast cancer: aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane) lower oestrogen, and tamoxifen blocks its effect¹⁴. See letrozole, anastrozole or tamoxifen?
• Prostate cancer: abiraterone lowers testosterone production, and enzalutamide and bicalutamide block testosterone from acting on the cancer¹³. See abiraterone vs enzalutamide.

Immune treatments

Immunotherapy helps your immune system fight cancer. It includes immune checkpoint inhibitors, some monoclonal antibodies, treatment vaccines and medicines that boost the immune response³.

Lenalidomide, used for myeloma, does not fit neatly into one group. It works in several ways: it interferes with the signals cancer cells use to grow, helps the immune system attack cancer cells, and blocks the growth of the new blood vessels that cancers need¹¹. It is not a traditional chemotherapy.

Drug-by-drug table

Our guide to how cancer medicines work explains these groups in more depth.

Not chemotherapy, but still handle with care

A medicine does not have to be chemotherapy to need careful handling at home. For example, abiraterone can harm an unborn baby, and women who are or may become pregnant should not handle the tablets¹⁵. Always read the leaflet that comes with your medicine, keep tablets in their packaging, and ask your pharmacist how to store and dispose of them safely. Our guide to taking cancer tablets at home has more practical tips.

Where to find these medicines

You can browse our chemotherapy medicines and our pages on capecitabine, temozolomide, palbociclib, olaparib, letrozole, abiraterone and trastuzumab. All need a prescription.

Examples of these medicines that we supply include Capixet 500 mg (capecitabine), Glivec 400 mg (imatinib), Ibrance 125 mg (palbociclib) and Abiraxen 250 mg (abiraterone).

Frequently asked questions

Is imatinib chemotherapy?

No. Imatinib is a targeted cancer drug. It blocks a specific protein that drives some cancers, such as chronic myeloid leukaemia, rather than attacking all fast-growing cells.

Is osimertinib chemo or immunotherapy?

Neither. Osimertinib is a targeted cancer drug for lung cancers with certain EGFR gene changes. It is sometimes given together with chemotherapy, but it is not chemotherapy itself.

Is abiraterone chemotherapy?

No. Abiraterone is a hormone therapy for prostate cancer. It lowers the amount of testosterone the body makes.

Is capecitabine a strong chemotherapy?

Capecitabine is a true chemotherapy, even though it is a tablet: the body turns it into fluorouracil. How strong it feels varies from person to person and depends on the dose and what it is combined with.

Is targeted therapy the same as chemo?

No. Chemotherapy attacks fast-growing cells in general, while targeted therapy acts on specific proteins that help cancer cells grow. Targeted medicines can still have serious side effects, but they are different from chemotherapy’s.

Sources & references

1. National Cancer Institute. Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer.
2. National Cancer Institute. Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer. Updated 31 May 2022.
3. National Cancer Institute. Immunotherapy to Treat Cancer. Updated 24 September 2019.
4. Cancer Research UK. Capecitabine (Xeloda). Last reviewed 4 September 2024.
5. Cancer Research UK. Temozolomide (Temodal). Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
6. Cancer Research UK. Imatinib (Glivec). Last reviewed 29 December 2025.
7. Cancer Research UK. Osimertinib (Tagrisso). Last reviewed 23 January 2026.
8. Cancer Research UK. Palbociclib (Ibrance). Last reviewed 21 February 2024.
9. Cancer Research UK. Ibrutinib (Imbruvica). Last reviewed 2 February 2024.
10. Cancer Research UK. Venetoclax (Venclyxto). Last reviewed 14 May 2024.
11. Cancer Research UK. Lenalidomide (Revlimid). Last reviewed 13 October 2025.
12. Cancer Research UK. Trastuzumab (Herceptin). Last reviewed 18 March 2024.
13. National Cancer Institute. Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer. Reviewed 4 October 2024.
14. National Cancer Institute. Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer. Updated 23 September 2026.
15. US National Library of Medicine, DailyMed. Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) prescribing information.

Related reading

• Capecitabine side effects and hand-foot syndrome
• Biosimilars vs generics in cancer care
• PARP inhibitors: olaparib vs niraparib
• Lenalidomide in myeloma
• Cancer medicines: how oncology drugs work
• When a cancer medicine stops working
• Abiraterone vs enzalutamide

This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Ask your cancer team about the medicine you have been prescribed and how to take and handle it safely. Used as prescribed by a licensed medical professional.