Perioperative therapies - Enhancing the impact of cancer surgery with repurposed drugs

Abstract

Surgical resection remains the major modality for modern curative treatment for solid tumours. However, post-surgical recurrence, even following clear-margin resection and adjuvant treatment, remains common in many types of cancer. Reducing recurrence rates, therefore, offers the potential to increase cure rates and increase overall survival. Perioperative therapies, simple interventions during the perioperative period, are designed to address some of the factors which influence post-surgical recurrence. A range of perioperative therapies are introduced and the rationale for further clinical investigation outlined.

Keywords: Cancer recurrence; Drug repurposing; Metastases; Perioperative period; Surgical resection.