In adjuvant chemotherapy, drugs are given as added treatment for patients. Mostly it is applied to kill the cancer cells which are present outside their original cancer sites. Adjuvant chemotherapy has been successful in some type of cancers like breast cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer.
Adjuvant chemotherapy is mostly applied after surgery. After surgery, various tests are conducted. It is assumed that if tests are negative, there no cancer. However, fact is negative means no detectable cancer. Cancer cell are very tiny. It is possible that they spread outside of original place and not detected in the tests. Such patients need to take adjuvant chemotherapy.
There are various chemotherapy drugs which are given in adjuvant chemotherapy depending on the type of cancer. However, larger is the cancer at diagnosis, bigger is the chance of cancer cells left behind.
It is hard to tell whether chemotherapy treatment is working. Cancer cells are very tiny and hide in relatively large organs so it becomes difficult to deal with them. So follow up treatment becomes necessary in the adjuvant chemotherapy. Follow up treatment consists of some lab tests which help in determining cancer. Lab tests consist of blood tests, X-rays and CT scan. They are conducted periodically.
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