Dr. Kiran Kancharia speaks about adjuvant therapy and how it’s administered in cancer care
Southlake, TX – Nov 17, 2018– Adjuvant therapy is often used after the primary treatment such as surgery, to prevent any chance of your cancer coming back. Even after a successful surgery removed all visible cancer, there are microscopic bits of cancer that can sometimes remain in the body and are undetectable using the current methods. A patient can be given an adjuvant therapy before the primary treatment. This is known as neoadjuvant therapy which decreases the chance of the cancer recurring, and it helps to make the primary treatment more effective.

“Adjuvant therapy helps to increase a patient’s chances of a cure,” explained Dr. Kancharia. "It may include radiation therapy, biological therapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Patients at higher risk of recurring cancer benefit from adjuvant therapy to help prevent cancer recurrence."

There are two types of adjuvant therapies including:

• Local adjuvant cancer therapy – This is treatment directed at specific areas in the body to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left after surgical removal of a tumor. Local adjuvant therapy consists of radiation treatments to the chest wall, breast or armpit. This radiation therapy is recommended for patients who:

 Have had a lumpectomy
 Those whose tumor is larger than two inches
 Those whose tumor has moved into the chest wall muscles
 Multiple lymph nodes were involved with the tumor
 Have a case of inflammatory breast cancer

Local adjuvant cancer radiation treatment usually begins about three to six weeks after surgery.

• Systemic adjuvant therapy – Systematic adjuvant therapy is administered in the entire body to help destroy any cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. Some microscopic cells may have been missed during the primary treatment and remain dormant for a while before growing. Systematic adjuvant cancer therapy covers the whole body and includes hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or a combination of these therapies. It helps to destroy or control cancer in the body to help the patient live longer and cancer-free.

“It is hard to know the type of adjuvant cancer therapy that will benefit you until you discuss this with your physician,” continued Dr. Kancharia. “Make sure to carefully evaluate the options, benefits, and risk of either therapy before making your choice.”

About Southlake Oncology
Southlake Oncology, located in the Southlake and Grapevine area is a community-focused oncology practice that delivers exceptional care to North Texas cancer patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses and blood disorders. Like the other Choice Cancer Care facilities, we are an independent treatment center that is physician-owned.