The hydrolysis process of the anticancer drug cis-amminedichlorocyclohexylamineplatinum(II) (JM 118 or CiS-[PtCl2(NH3)cyclohexylamine]) and the influence of solvent models therein have been studied using hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP). The aquation reactions leading to the activated drug forms a key step for the reaction with the target DNA. In this study, the stepwise hydrolysis, CiS-[PtCl2(NH3)cyclohexylamine] + 2H(2)O -> cis-[Pt(NH3)cyclohexylamine(OH2)(2)](2+) + 2Cl(-) was explored, using three different models. Implicit solvent effects were incorporated through polarized continuum models. The stationary points on the potential energy surfaces for the first and second hydrolysis steps, proceeding via a general S(N)2 pathway, were fully optimized and characterized. It was found that the explicit solvent effects originating from the inclusion of extra water molecules into the system are significantly stronger than those arising from the bulk aqueous medium, especially for the second aquation step, emphasizing the use of appropriate models for these types of problems. In comparison with previous work on the parent compound cisplatin, a slower rate of hydrolysis is determined for the first (rate determining) reaction. The results furthermore imply that the doubly aquated form of JM 118 will be the main DNA binding form of the drug. The results provide detailed energy profiles for the mechanism of hydrolysis of JM118, which may assist in understanding the reaction mechanism of the drug with the DNA target and in the design of novel Pt-containing anticancer drugs.