LO 8 MULTIMODALITY

THERAPY

 Multimodality therapy is defined as the

application of two or more processes
of cancer treatment intended to deal
with certain types of cancer. These
methods may include radiation
therapy, surgery, gene therapy,
chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
before local treatment (induction, neoadjuvant)
during local treatment (concomitant)
alternating with local treatment
after local treatment (adjuvant)

Multimodality therapy
induction

possibility to assess effect of treatment in

vivo
early introduction of systemic therapy
(prevention of development of
chemoresistance)
undisturbed blood supply
prevention of tumor seeding during surgery
enabling of decreasing the extent of surgery
lack of interfering toxicities form other
treatments
delay in local treatment (risk of progression)
increased risk of local treatment
complications

Multimodality therapy

concomitant
no delay of any treatment modality
synergistic effect of various modalities
increased toxicity
need to modify doses of individual treatment
modalities

Multimodality therapy

adjuvant
no delay in local treatment
higher sensitivity of microscopic tumor foci
lack of possibility to assess efficacy of treatment
delayed start of systemic treatment (possibility of
develppment of resistance)
impaired blood supply (and drug penetration)