Neoadjuvant therapy refers to systemic drug treatment or radiation therapy given to people with cancer prior to surgery. The aim is to reduce the size or extent of the cancer before receiving surgery, thus making procedures easier and more likely to be successful, and reducing the consequences of a more extensive surgery that would have to be done if the tumor wasn't reduced in size or extent.
This systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy or...
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Neoadjuvant therapy refers to systemic drug treatment or radiation therapy given to people with cancer prior to surgery. The aim is to reduce the size or extent of the cancer before receiving surgery, thus making procedures easier and more likely to be successful, and reducing the consequences of a more extensive surgery that would have to be done if the tumor wasn't reduced in size or extent.
This systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy or hormone therapy) or radiation therapy is commonly used in cancers that are locally advanced - where an operation is technically planned at a later stage. The use of such therapy can effectively reduce the difficulty and morbidity of more extensive procedures.
The use of therapy is to turn the tumour from untreatable to treatable by shrinking the volume down. Often it can be unclear which surrounding structures are directly involved in the disease and which are just showing signs of inflammation. By administering therapy a distinction can...
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