Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Nature of Business [Abstract]
Nature of Business	1. Nature of Business CytRx Corporation ("CytRx" or "the Company") is a biopharmaceutical research and development company specializing in oncology. Our focus is on the discovery, research and clinical development of novel anti-cancer drug candidates that employ novel linker technologies to enhance the accumulation and release of cytotoxic anti-cancer agents at the tumor. CytRx has an active drug discovery and research operation at its laboratory facilities in Freiburg, Germany. The LADR™ (Linker Activated Drug Release) technology platform is a discovery engine combining CytRx's expertise in linker chemistry and albumin biology to create a pipeline of anti-cancer molecules that will avoid unacceptable systemic toxicity while delivering highly potent agents directly to the tumor. The Company has created a "toolbox" of linker technologies that have the ability to significantly increase the therapeutic index of ultra-high potency drugs (10-1,000 times more potent than traditional chemotherapies) by controlling the release of the drug payloads and improving drug-like properties. After infusion, these ultra-high potency drug conjugates bind to circulating albumin for transport of the drug to the tumor. Subsequently, due to specific conditions within the tumor, the linkers are cleaved and release the anti-cancer drug payload. CytRx's current efforts are focused on two classes of ultra-high potency drug conjugates. The Company's strategy across these programs is to generate additional pre-clinical data that will allow them to make informed decisions regarding the selection of one or both programs for moving into human clinical trials either independently or on a partnered basis. During 2017, CytRx's discovery laboratory synthesized and tested over 75 rationally designed drug conjugates with highly potent cytotoxic payloads, and two distinct classes of compounds have been created. To date, four lead candidates have been selected based on in vitro and animal preclinical studies, stability, and manufacturing feasibility. Additional animal efficacy and toxicology testing of these lead candidates is underway. On July 27, 2017, CytRx entered into an exclusive worldwide license with NantCell, Inc. ("NantCell"), granting to NantCell the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize aldoxorubicin in all indications, and it is no longer directly working on development of aldoxorubicin. As part of the license, NantCell made a strategic investment of $13 million in CytRx common stock at $6.60 per share (adjusted to reflect its 2017 reverse stock split), a premium of 92% to the market price on that date. CytRx also issued NantCell a warrant to purchase up to 500,000 shares of common stock at $6.60 over the following 18 months. The Company is entitled to receive up to an aggregate of $343 million in potential milestone payments, contingent upon achievement of certain regulatory approvals and commercial milestones. CytRx is also entitled to receive ascending double-digit royalties for net sales for soft tissue sarcomas and mid to high single digit royalties for other indications. Aldoxorubicin is a conjugate of the commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin that binds to circulating albumin in the bloodstream and is believed to concentrate the drug at the site of the tumor. Aldoxorubicin, the Company's lead clinical candidate, has been tested in over 600 patients with various types of cancer. Specifically, it is comprised of (6-maleimidocaproyl) hydrazine, an acid-sensitive molecule that is conjugated to doxorubicin. The initial indication for aldoxorubicin is for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Aldoxorubicin has received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of STS. ODD provides several benefits including seven years of market exclusivity after approval, certain R&D related tax credits, and protocol assistance by the FDA. European regulators granted aldoxorubicin Orphan designation for STS which confers ten years of market exclusivity among other benefits. In the first quarter of 2018, CytRx announced that NantCell was expanding aldoxorubicin' s use by combining it with immunotherapies and cell based treatments, specifically in metastatic pancreatic cancer and in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or non-small cell lung cancer. Currently, the Company's only research and development activities are at its laboratory facilities in Freiburg, Germany. For this reason and others, its operating expenses are expected to be significantly lower in the near future. Therefore, period to period comparisons should not be relied upon as predictive of the results in future periods. At December 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $37.6 million. Under the terms of the loan agreement, however, the Company is required to maintain cash equal to a minimum of the greater of three months projected cash burn or $10 million. Management believes that its current resources will be sufficient to fund its operations for the foreseeable future. This estimate is based, in part, upon the Company's currently projected expenditures for 2018 and the first three months of 2019 of approximately $27.8 million (unaudited), which includes approximately $1.5 million (unaudited) for its clinical programs, approximately $3.1 million (unaudited) for pre-clinical development of new high potency cytotoxic albumin-binding cancer drugs, approximately $0.7 million (unaudited) for general operation of its clinical programs, approximately $10.1 million (unaudited) for other general and administrative expenses and $12.4 million of interest and principal payments on our outstanding term loan. These projected expenditures are also based upon numerous other assumptions and subject to many uncertainties, and actual expenditures may be significantly different from these projections. While these projections represent the Company's current expected expenditures, the Company has the ability to reduce the amounts and alter the timing of research and development expenditures as needed to manage its liquidity needs while still advancing its research and development objectives. The Company will ultimately be required to obtain additional funding in order to execute its long-term business plans, although it does not currently have commitments from any third parties to provide it with long term debt or capital. The Company cannot assure that additional funding will be available on favorable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to obtain additional funding when needed, it may not be able to execute its business plans and its business may suffer, which would have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Effective November 1, 2017, the Company completed a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of the Company's outstanding shares of common and preferred stock, reduced its authorized shares of both common and preferred stock by one-sixth; no change was made to the per-share par value of the common stock. All share and per share amounts in the accompanying financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split as if it had occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented.

1. Nature of Business

CytRx Corporation ("CytRx" or "the Company") is a biopharmaceutical research and development company specializing in oncology. Our focus is on the discovery, research and clinical development of novel anti-cancer drug candidates that employ novel linker technologies to enhance the accumulation and release of cytotoxic anti-cancer agents at the tumor. CytRx has an active drug discovery and research operation at its laboratory facilities in Freiburg, Germany.

The LADR™ (Linker Activated Drug Release) technology platform is a discovery engine combining CytRx's expertise in linker chemistry and albumin biology to create a pipeline of anti-cancer molecules that will avoid unacceptable systemic toxicity while delivering highly potent agents directly to the tumor. The Company has created a "toolbox" of linker technologies that have the ability to significantly increase the therapeutic index of ultra-high potency drugs (10-1,000 times more potent than traditional chemotherapies) by controlling the release of the drug payloads and improving drug-like properties. After infusion, these ultra-high potency drug conjugates bind to circulating albumin for transport of the drug to the tumor. Subsequently, due to specific conditions within the tumor, the linkers are cleaved and release the anti-cancer drug payload.

CytRx's current efforts are focused on two classes of ultra-high potency drug conjugates. The Company's strategy across these programs is to generate additional pre-clinical data that will allow them to make informed decisions regarding the selection of one or both programs for moving into human clinical trials either independently or on a partnered basis.

During 2017, CytRx's discovery laboratory synthesized and tested over 75 rationally designed drug conjugates with highly potent cytotoxic payloads, and two distinct classes of compounds have been created. To date, four lead candidates have been selected based on in vitro and animal preclinical studies, stability, and manufacturing feasibility. Additional animal efficacy and toxicology testing of these lead candidates is underway.

On July 27, 2017, CytRx entered into an exclusive worldwide license with NantCell, Inc. ("NantCell"), granting to NantCell the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize aldoxorubicin in all indications, and it is no longer directly working on development of aldoxorubicin. As part of the license, NantCell made a strategic investment of $13 million in CytRx common stock at $6.60 per share (adjusted to reflect its 2017 reverse stock split), a premium of 92% to the market price on that date. CytRx also issued NantCell a warrant to purchase up to 500,000 shares of common stock at $6.60 over the following 18 months. The Company is entitled to receive up to an aggregate of $343 million in potential milestone payments, contingent upon achievement of certain regulatory approvals and commercial milestones. CytRx is also entitled to receive ascending double-digit royalties for net sales for soft tissue sarcomas and mid to high single digit royalties for other indications.

Aldoxorubicin is a conjugate of the commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin that binds to circulating albumin in the bloodstream and is believed to concentrate the drug at the site of the tumor. Aldoxorubicin, the Company's lead clinical candidate, has been tested in over 600 patients with various types of cancer. Specifically, it is comprised of (6-maleimidocaproyl) hydrazine, an acid-sensitive molecule that is conjugated to doxorubicin. The initial indication for aldoxorubicin is for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas (STS).

Aldoxorubicin has received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of STS. ODD provides several benefits including seven years of market exclusivity after approval, certain R&D related tax credits, and protocol assistance by the FDA. European regulators granted aldoxorubicin Orphan designation for STS which confers ten years of market exclusivity among other benefits.

In the first quarter of 2018, CytRx announced that NantCell was expanding aldoxorubicin' s use by combining it with immunotherapies and cell based treatments, specifically in metastatic pancreatic cancer and in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or non-small cell lung cancer.

Currently, the Company's only research and development activities are at its laboratory facilities in Freiburg, Germany. For this reason and others, its operating expenses are expected to be significantly lower in the near future. Therefore, period to period comparisons should not be relied upon as predictive of the results in future periods.

At December 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $37.6 million. Under the terms of the loan agreement, however, the Company is required to maintain cash equal to a minimum of the greater of three months projected cash burn or $10 million. Management believes that its current resources will be sufficient to fund its operations for the foreseeable future. This estimate is based, in part, upon the Company's currently projected expenditures for 2018 and the first three months of 2019 of approximately $27.8 million (unaudited), which includes approximately $1.5 million (unaudited) for its clinical programs, approximately $3.1 million (unaudited) for pre-clinical development of new high potency cytotoxic albumin-binding cancer drugs, approximately $0.7 million (unaudited) for general operation of its clinical programs, approximately $10.1 million (unaudited) for other general and administrative expenses and $12.4 million of interest and principal payments on our outstanding term loan. These projected expenditures are also based upon numerous other assumptions and subject to many uncertainties, and actual expenditures may be significantly different from these projections. While these projections represent the Company's current expected expenditures, the Company has the ability to reduce the amounts and alter the timing of research and development expenditures as needed to manage its liquidity needs while still advancing its research and development objectives. The Company will ultimately be required to obtain additional funding in order to execute its long-term business plans, although it does not currently have commitments from any third parties to provide it with long term debt or capital. The Company cannot assure that additional funding will be available on favorable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to obtain additional funding when needed, it may not be able to execute its business plans and its business may suffer, which would have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Effective November 1, 2017, the Company completed a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of the Company's outstanding shares of common and preferred stock, reduced its authorized shares of both common and preferred stock by one-sixth; no change was made to the per-share par value of the common stock. All share and per share amounts in the accompanying financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split as if it had occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented.