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What Is Consolidation Chemotherapy?

There are many types of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treatments are defined not only by the chemicals that are used in them, but also by what cancers they are designed to treat, and when during the progression of the cancer the drugs are given. Consolidation chemotherapy is given when certain types of cancer reach specific stages. In general, "consolidation" refers to treatments that comprehensively treat leftover cancer cells.

  1. Chemotherapy

    • Chemotherapy treats cancer with chemicals that target the cancer cells while avoiding cells that are not part of the cancer. Chemotherapy treatments are not perfect, and they tend to cause unpleasant side effects--including nausea and long recovery times in the hospital--when they destroy healthy cells.

      A course of drugs is usually included with chemotherapy to help manage the side effects. Some types of cancer can be treated only with chemotherapy.

    Consolidation

    • Consolidation chemotherapy is defined mostly by the stage of the treatment it is used in. Consolidation methods normally are used once a cancer has begun to go into remission. The purpose is to make sure the cancer goes fully into remission and stays there. It typically falls between the intensification phase of chemotherapy, when high doses are given to wipe out cancer cells, and the maintenance phase, when much lower doses are given toward the end of a treatment cycle. Consolidation and intensification phases might be used interchangeably.

    Uses

    • Consolidation chemotherapy is used only in intense treatment methods that involve extended doses that go through many different stages. Typically, only patients with severe or life-threatening cancers have chemotherapy that includes a consolidation phase. Acute leukemia often leads to a chemotherapy course that includes a consolidation phase.

    Treatments and Success Rates

    • The chemotherapy treatments typically used in consolidation treatments are cytarabine and daunorubicin. If only one chemical is used it is usually cytarabine. Sometimes etoposide and mitoxantrone are also used, especially in the latter phases of consolidation. This type of treatment usually gives a 12- to 18-month remission period, with a five-year survival rate of 20 percent to 30 percent.

    Maintenance and Adjuvant Therapy

    • Maintenance and adjuvant therapy are phases of chemotherapy that are similar to consolidation, but used in different instances. Maintenance chemotherapy is lower-dose treatment given during a remission to help prolong it. Adjuvant therapy is given after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that might have escaped into the body. Consolidation therapy is given immediately after remission is achieved.

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