Adjuvant therapy is primarily administered at what stage of cancer treatment?

Adjuvant therapy is primarily administered after surgery. The purpose of adjuvant therapy is to eliminate any remaining cancer cells that may not have been removed during the surgical procedure and to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. This approach is particularly important for cancers that have a higher likelihood of metastasizing or that are at risk of recurrence after the primary treatment.

By providing additional treatment post-surgery, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or endocrine therapy, healthcare providers aim to improve the overall prognosis for patients. This strategy allows for the targeting of microscopic disease that may still exist in the body.

In contrast, the other options represent different phases in the treatment of cancer, but they do not align with the definition of adjuvant therapy, which explicitly occurs after the primary surgical intervention.