Who should have adjuvant therapy?

Not everyone benefits from adjuvant therapy. Consider these factors with your healthcare team when deciding if adjuvant therapy is right for you:

• Type of cancer. Adjuvant therapy often works well for certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer and colon cancer. But it depends on your unique situation. Adjuvant therapy may not help treat all types of cancer.
• Stage of cancer. A cancer's stage shows how much the cancer has spread. If the cancer is at an early stage, it may not have had time to spread. The chance of cancer returning after surgery may be quite low. In that case, adjuvant therapy may not offer much benefit. Adjuvant therapy may be more helpful if a cancer is at a later stage or has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
• Number of lymph nodes involved. When cancer spreads from where it started, it often goes to the lymph nodes first. If your cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, you may be more likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy.
• Hormone receptivity. Hormone therapy won't be effective if your cancer is not fueled by specific hormones.
• Other cancer-specific changes. Certain cancers may have changes within their cells that show that cancer is likely to return. In these cancers, adjuvant therapy may be helpful. If tests show that your cancer is not likely to return, you may not need adjuvant therapy.

Adjuvant therapy doesn't ensure your cancer will not return. But it can lower the risk of the cancer coming back.