Adjuvant chemotherapy, also called preventive chemotherapy, is often used after primary treatment in order to make cancer treatment more effective.
In recent days, the news that the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was diagnosed with cancer (the location or stage of the tumor is not yet known) generated enormous repercussion on social media. But what caught the most attention was the fact that she needed “preventive” chemotherapy. But, after all, what does this mean?
First, it is necessary to explain that preventative is not the right term to use, as it sounds like a treatment to prevent a tumor from appearing, which is not the case. In medical terms, the correct thing to say is adjuvant therapy, which, according to information from the Mayo Clinic (one of the most renowned hospitals in the United States), is chemotherapy used after primary treatment, in the princess’s case, after removal of the tumor. in abdominal surgery.
“Chemotherapy is usually either pre-operative, also called neoadjuvant therapy, or post-operative, called adjuvant, that is, after the main treatment. This may be recommended, because even after surgery, microscopic portions of cancer cells may remain that are undetectable at first. And that’s where the role of this complementary treatment comes in”, explains the oncologist. Fabiana Makdissi, leader of the Breast Tumor Reference Center, at the AC Camargo Cancer Center, in São Paulo.
Treatment can last months, weeks or more than a year. Patients can receive cycles of chemotherapy daily or every two weeks, followed by time for the body to recover, but everything will depend on the type and location of the tumor and the patient’s health status.
“We don’t know what type of tumor she has. [Kate] had surgery, only it was in the abdomen region, but it could be cancer colorectal, ovary, pancreas, stomach. Just speculations. The most important thing to explain is that the idea of adjuvant treatment is simply to minimize the risk of the tumor returning”, adds the doctor. Makdissi.
See also: White and red chemotherapy: what’s the difference?
When is adjuvant chemotherapy (preventive chemotherapy) recommended?
According to information from the Mayo Clinic, some factors that can be considered when recommending adjuvant chemotherapy are:
- Cancer that was diagnosed and treated at an early stage;
- Cancer that was later diagnosed and treated, making it likely that cancer cells will still exist even after completing treatment;
- The presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, as cancer that spreads in this region has a greater risk of recurrence.
What is the difference between adjuvant chemotherapy and “normal” chemotherapy?
This treatment usually involves the same chemotherapy drugs that people receive to treat active or advanced cancer. So there is no difference.
