salvage chemotherapy

sal·vage che·mo·ther·a·py

use of chemotherapy in a patient with recurrence of a malignancy following initial treatment, in hope of a cure or prolongation of life.

Synonym(s): salvage therapy (1)

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

salvage chemotherapy

A treatment modality consisting of high-dose chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation for cancer patients who have “failed” one or more protocols. For instance, in Hodgkin lymphoma, 24% of those with long initial remissions survive > 11 years, and thus require further (salvage) therapy (e.g., ABVD—doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine). Salvage regimens include high-dose chemotherapy (3–10-fold greater than conventional dosage), and may be combined with autologous bone marrow, or peripheral stem cell transplantation. Salvage chemotherapy is problematic as the patients may already be in poor condition, e.g., with severe clinical deterioration; large, bulky, aggressive tumour masses; and multi-drug resistances. Salvage chemotherapy is used in NHL, small cell carcinoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

salvage chemotherapy

Oncology A treatment modality consisting of high-dose chemotherapy and BMT, for cancer Pts who have 'failed' one or more protocols. See Heroic therapy.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.