Adjuvant Therapy
Also known as: post-operative therapy
Additional treatment given after surgery to lower the risk of cancer coming back.
Definition
Adjuvant therapy is treatment given after the main treatment (usually surgery) to destroy any microscopic cancer cells that may remain and to reduce the chance of recurrence. It can take the form of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, used alone or in combination.
The choice depends on tumour type, stage, biological features (such as HER2 or hormone receptor status) and the patient's overall health. Adjuvant therapy is contrasted with neoadjuvant therapy, which is given before surgery.
See also
- Neoadjuvant Therapy — Treatment given before the main therapy (usually surgery) to shrink the tumour first.
- Chemotherapy — Drug treatment that kills cancer cells throughout the body.
- Radiation Therapy — Treatment that uses high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells in a targeted area.
- Recurrence — The return of cancer after a period of being undetectable.
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Medically reviewed by
Dr. Rehan Abdullah
Dr. Rehan Abdullah is a dual-trained clinical and radiation oncologist with over a decade of experience treating both solid tumours and hematologic malignancies. He serves as Consultant Oncologist at INMOL Hospital and sees patients at Farooq Hospital and Healthnox Medical Center, Lahore. Read full profile →
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