Adjuvant Therapy (definition of)

Adjuvant therapy is defined as any pharmacological or immunological treatment that is used to supplement and modify the effects of other treatments such as prescription drugs, yet has minimal effect in and of itself.

In the field of oncology, adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments are used in conjunction with radiation treatments and chemotherapy. The former refers to a supplemental treatment that is administered after surgical removal of the tumor in order to minimize the chances of relapse. "Neoadjuvant" therapy on the other hand is administered prior to primary treatment. This is most effective in mesothelioma cases (like peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma) that have been diagnosed in stage 1 mesothelioma, when it is quite localized and therefore operable. Neoadjuvant treatment can reduce the size of a tumor and make it easier to remove.

If such treatments are administered during conventional chemotherapy or radiation treatments, they are called concomitant or concurrent.