What is the difference between neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy?

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy are both important cancer treatment strategies, but there are key differences between them. Neoadjuvant therapy is defined as the administration of systemic drug therapy (such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy) before surgery to shrink a tumor. This helps reduce the risk of recurrence by killing any remaining cancer cells in the body after surgery, but it may also make the tumor easier to remove during surgery because of its smaller size. Adjuvant therapy, on the other hand, refers to the administration of targeted drug treatments post-surgery with an aim to further reduce or prevent recurrence and metastases (spread) into other parts of the body. While adjuvant therapies can sometimes be used in conjunction with neoadjuvant therapies for additional benefit, they’re typically given separately post-surgery due to their potential side effects on healthy tissue surrounding a tumor. Ultimately, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies help improve patient outcomes by reducing tumor size before surgery and helping keep tumors from recurring after surgical removal.