Neoadjuvant therapy is a term that refers to anticancer treatment that is given to a patient before they undergo their primary treatment.
Neoadjuvant therapy is commonly used to shrink a tumor down prior to surgery.
Neoadjuvant therapy can refer to cycles of chemotherapy; it can also refer to radiotherapy as well as hormone therapy.
Examples of Neoadjuvant Therapy
Infantile fibrosarcoma is a very, very rare cancer that generally appears in children during the first 12 months of life. The primary site for this cancer ranges from the leg to the foot to the chest wall, tongue, arm, and thigh, among other areas. When the cancer is found to have metastasized, or grown beyond the localized area, but isn't spread throughout the body (regional), the standard of care is surgery. However, because the regions where this cancer can appear might have many nerve endings or may be in a limb, it is important to administer neoadjuvant chemotherapy to shrink and kill as much of the tumor as possible. This gives surgeons a much better chance at removing the entire tumor without risking the long-term health or wellbeing of the child.
In cases of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), the cancer has spread beyond the breast to areas that might include the breast skin, nearby lymph nodes, or the chest wall (but it means it has not spread to other organs). Because surgery is often indicated in many of these cases, patients will often undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy in order to shrink the tumor down and make it easier to resect (i.e. surgically remove). In breast cancer, neoadjuvant therapy isn't limited to chemotherapy; depending on the diagnosis, sometimes, hormone therapy, involving trastuzumab and pertuzumab are used.
Ultimately, the goal of neoadjuvant therapy in any cancer is to shrink a tumor down so that the patient requires a less radical surgical procedure than they would if neoadjuvant therapy were not used. Often, neoadjuvant therapy is referred to when discussing treatment approaches that 'conserve' the breast or 'spare' the bladder. For instance, in breast cancer neoadjuvant therapy is breast-conserving if it can allow doctors to perform a lumpectomy, as opposed to a more radical procedure, such as a mastectomy.
SOURCES
Pubmed: Clinical management of infantile fibrosarcoma
Pubmed: Treatment of infantile fibrosarcoma with chemotherapy and surgery
Susan G. Komen: Neoadjuvant therapy
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