Salvage therapy

From WikiMD's Wellnesspedia

Salvage therapy, also known as salvage treatment, is a medical approach used when standard treatments have failed to produce the desired outcome in a patient's condition. This type of therapy is typically considered as a last resort when all other treatment options have been exhausted. Salvage therapy aims to provide alternative treatment strategies to improve the patient's health and quality of life.

Overview[edit | edit source]

Salvage therapy is often employed in cases where a patient's disease or condition has not responded to initial treatment or has relapsed after an initial period of improvement. It is commonly used in the management of various medical conditions, including cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and organ transplant rejection.

Indications[edit | edit source]

Salvage therapy may be considered in the following situations:

  • Failure of standard treatment options
  • Disease progression despite initial treatment
  • Recurrence of disease after a period of remission
  • Development of drug resistance

Treatment Approaches[edit | edit source]

Salvage therapy may involve the use of:

  • Alternative medications or drug combinations
  • Experimental treatments or clinical trials
  • Surgical interventions
  • Radiation therapy
  • Immunotherapy

Considerations[edit | edit source]

Before initiating salvage therapy, healthcare providers must carefully assess the potential risks and benefits of the treatment approach. Patients should be informed about the likelihood of success, possible side effects, and alternative options available. Close monitoring and follow-up are essential during salvage therapy to evaluate the response to treatment and manage any adverse effects.

Examples[edit | edit source]

Salvage therapy is commonly used in the following medical scenarios:

  • Salvage chemotherapy for refractory cancers
  • Salvage antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients with treatment failure
  • Salvage immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant rejection
  • Salvage surgery for recurrent tumors

References[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit source]

Latest articles - Salvage therapy

PubMed
Clinical trials
UpToDate

AI tools[edit source]

Generative AI tools and links to learn more on Salvage therapy: ChatGPT - Bing Chat - Google Gemini. (caution advised).


Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD