Neoadjuvant vs Adjuvant
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used before surgery to shrink cancer tumors, making the surgery easier and more effective. Adjuvant chemotherapy is given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells and prevent the cancer from coming back.
For ovarian cancer, chemotherapy can help get rid of the cancer or stop it from growing. It can also improve quality of life when a cure isn’t possible.
Chemotherapy is usually given in several treatments over time, often through an IV drip into a vein.
Neoadjuvant vs Adjuvant; Difference between Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy
| Neoadjuvant Therapy | Adjuvant Therapy |
|---|---|
| If doctors deliver the therapy before the primary treatment, they refer to this as neoadjuvant therapy. | Adjuvant therapy is any therapeutic method used after the surgical resection of a cancerous tumor. |
| Neoadjuvant therapies are delivered before the main treatment, to help reduce the size of a tumor or kill cancer cells that have spread. | Adjuvant therapies are delivered after the primary treatment, to destroy the remaining cancer cells. |
| Neoadjuvant therapy includes: radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy | Adjuvant therapy includes radiation therapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, etc. |
| Neoadjuvant therapy improves the success of the surgery. | Adjuvant therapy reduces the risk of recurrence. |
| The aim of neoadjuvant therapy is to reduce the size or extent of the tumor before the main intervention. | Adjuvant treatment is done to destroy cancer cells that may still be present in the body after this intervention. |