Third-line therapy

Third-line therapy is a term used in health care and medicine to describe the treatment strategy that is considered when both first-line therapy and second-line therapy have failed or are not suitable for a patient. This approach is often used in the management of chronic diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.

Overview

Third-line therapy is typically more aggressive, more expensive, or has more side effects than first and second-line therapies. It is often used when the disease has become resistant to initial treatments or when the patient cannot tolerate the standard therapies. The choice of third-line therapy depends on the specific disease, the patient's overall health, and the patient's personal preferences.

Use in Different Diseases

Cancer

In oncology, third-line therapy is often a regimen of chemotherapy drugs that are different from those used in first and second-line therapies. These may include newer drugs or experimental treatments. For example, in lung cancer, third-line therapy may involve the use of immunotherapy drugs like nivolumab or pembrolizumab.

HIV/AIDS

In the treatment of HIV/AIDS, third-line therapy refers to the use of antiretroviral drugs that are different from those used in first and second-line therapies. This is often necessary when the virus has developed resistance to the initial treatments. Third-line therapy for HIV/AIDS may involve the use of newer drugs like dolutegravir or darunavir.

Diabetes

In diabetes management, third-line therapy may involve the use of insulin or other injectable medications when oral medications and lifestyle changes have not been sufficient to control blood sugar levels.

See Also

• First-line therapy
• Second-line therapy
• Fourth-line therapy
• Drug resistance
• Treatment algorithm

References

‎

---

Translate: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, தமிழ், తెలుగు, Urdu, ಕನ್ನಡ, Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, বাংলা
European español, Deutsch, français, Greek, português do Brasil, polski, română, русский, Nederlands, norsk, svenska, suomi, Italian
Middle Eastern & African عربى, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Kiswahili,
Other Bulgarian, Hungarian, Czech, Swedish, മലയാളം, मराठी, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, ગુજરાતી, Portuguese, Ukrainian