In cancer treatment, neoadjuvant chemotherapy refers to treatment that is given before surgery. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is usually used to treat breast cancer whose tumour characteristics may make complete surgery challenging initially. The objective is to shrink the tumour so that it then becomes possible for surgery to be performed smoothly.
In recent years, neoadjuvant chemotherapy has also been used for early breast cancer patients who can undergo surgery. First, the tumour is shrunk to make them candidates for breast-conserving surgery. In this type of surgery, only the tumour is removed and not the whole breast, thereby reducing the impact on the patient’s body and appearance.
Neoadjuvant treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy.
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References:
- Hospital Authority Smart Patient website. Breast Cancer. https://www21.ha.org.hk/smartpatient/SPW/en-US/Disease-Information/Disease/?guid=bc5c075d-d161-4abc-9b1b-1b1ca15d6947. Accessed February 2022.
- National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms. Accessed February 2022.
- American Cancer Society. Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/treatment.html. Accessed February 2022.
- Hong Kong Breast Cancer Registry Bulletin Issue 8. Published by Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation in September 2017. https://www.hkbcf.org/en/our_research/main/424/upload/category/59/self/5a8cf0b4189bd.pdf. Accessed February 2022.