Neoadjuvant Therapy

Synonyms

Preoperative chemotherapy; Primary chemotherapy; Primary systemic therapy; Protoadjuvant therapy; Systemic therapy

Definition

Neoadjuvant therapy is an auxiliary therapy (e.g., androgen ablation in prostate cancer) administered prior to another therapy (e.g., surgery or radiation). It is given prior to surgery in an attempt to decrease the size of the tumor. It is performed in an attempt to make the tumor easier to remove and to increase the chances that removal of the tumor is curative.

Characteristics

In most solid tumors, surgery remains the initial primary modality of treatment. With the increasing effectiveness of systemic therapies (chemotherapy and hormonal therapy) in advanced disease stages and also in the postoperative “adjuvant” setting, studies were instituted in many solid tumor types using systemic therapies prior to surgery. Advantages of this approach may include:

• Downstaging of the tumor allowing for less extensive surgery to be performed

• Ability to...