Following a cancer diagnosis, many treatments can be considered, depending on the potential treatments already received, the overall health status, and the type and stage of the cancer. The multitude of options available can sometimes make visibility on the care journey difficult.

When cancer is at one Localized stadium, that is to say, that it has not spread to other organs and therefore that an operation to remove the cancerous tumor is possible, two types of treatments should be distinguished: neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments.

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At the localized stage: neoadjuvant therapy vs adjuvant therapy?

A treatment neoadjuvant is used to treat cancer before surgery. Most often, the aim of neoadjuvant therapy is to reduce the size of the tumor as much as possible before surgical excision. As for the treatment adjuvant, it is administered After surgery to prevent the risk of relapse.

Whether adjuvant or neoadjuvant, the proposed treatment can take various forms including chemotherapy, the radiotherapy, theimmunotherapy and hormonal therapy, which are the most frequently used treatments.

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At the locally advanced or metastatic stage: what treatments?.

When cancer is at one Locally advanced stage (i.e. not operable) or metastatic (that is to say, it has spread to other organs and therefore an operation to remove the cancerous tumor is impossible), other treatments may be proposed that may take various forms including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy.

All of these treatments can be used several times or combined with each other.

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What about clinical trials then?

The treatments mentioned above are not the only possible solutions in case of cancer. Indeed, whether at the localized stage or at the locally advanced/metastatic stage, there are clinical trials which make it possible to benefit from new innovative treatments or new therapeutic strategies. You can view the complete list by connecting to the Klineo platform in order to discuss them with your doctor.