The definition of salvage therapy is always evolving as new drugs and treatments are introduced.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
What Is Salvage Therapy?
Salvage therapy is not a specific treatment.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
It essentially means that standard treatment options have been exhausted.
However, salvage therapy does not always indicate that there is no hope.
Conditions
Salvage therapy is structured and follows guidelines based on available scientific research.
HIV
Salvage therapy is used in people with HIV who no longer respond to standardantiretroviral therapies.
Over time, HIV can gradually develop resistance to the drugs, making them less effective.
If the treatment fails, another combination can be prescribed to put the virus back in check.
However, this is not always the case.
Drug resistance can develop rapidly if a person interrupts treatment or frequently skips doses.
Salvage therapy may also be required if certain medications are intolerable and severely limit your treatment options.
When Salvage Therapy Is Used
Salvage therapy is typically tried when there is high-level, multidrug resistance.
Based on the findings, your healthcare provider will prescribe thecombination of drugsthat the virus is most responsive to.
Because of this,side effectsare more likely, and dosing schedules may be far more complicated.
Changing Definitions
The definition of salvage therapy is constantly changing.
In the past, salvage therapy and third-line therapy were considered synonymous because there were fewer drug options.
The novel HIV drug was able to overcome deep resistance in people who had been on treatment for decades.
Salvage therapy can take many forms.
It may also be considered when there iscancer recurrence(also known as a relapse).
The first-line treatment for most types of cancer is chemotherapy (“chemo”).
Salvage therapy may be used when a person has not responded to a first-line therapy.
There is not one fixed salvage therapy for cancer.
There may also be first-, second-, and even third-line salvage therapies for cancers.
With every subsequent treatment, the response (reducing the tumor or improving survival) tends to be less.
Salvage therapy may have a slightly different meaning for people whose cancer cant be cured.
For these individuals, the goal of therapy is to keep the disease from progressing and avoid further illness.
Does Salvage Mean Incurable?
Some of these may be desperate measures in which the potential benefits are seen to outweigh the risks.
But this is not always the case.
This includes reviewing your medical history to identify your risk of certain side effects.
Add to this the impact of radiation and hormonal therapies, and the side effects can be significant.
This is an option whether the cancer is curable or incurable.
When you areimmunosuppressedorimmunocompromised, your body is less able to fight infection.
To prevent infection while on salvage therapy, speak with your doctor about the differentvaccinesyou need, includingfluandCOVID-19 vaccines.
Use standard precautions to avoid contagions, including frequenthandwashing, avoiding crowds, and wearing face masks.
You also need to do your part to keep yourself healthy.
This includes eating a healthy diet, quitting cigarettes, and exercising within reason.
Your doctor can offer guidance or refer you to anutritionist,physical therapist, or personal trainer when appropriate.
At the same time, the doctor will want to evaluate your response to treatment.
When first starting salvage therapy, you may be asked to be seen more frequently than usual.
Summary
Salvage therapy refers to treatments used after a condition has not responded to the usual treatments.
It is most often used in treating HIV or cancer.
Salvage therapy tends to be more aggressive than standard treatments and may produce side effects.
If one form of salvage therapy is not effective, another may be used.
HIV.gov.HIV/AIDS glossary: salvage therapy.
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National Cancer Institute.NCI dictionaries: salvage therapy.
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2015;21(4):371.e1-4.
National Cancer Institute.Coping with cancer.
