Which phase involves lower doses of chemotherapy to prevent disease relapse?

• A. Induction
• B. Consolidation
• C. Salvage
• D. Maintenance

Answer: (D)

The phase being described focuses on keeping the cancer from coming back after it has responded to initial treatment. Maintenance therapy uses lower doses of chemotherapy over a longer period to sustain remission and prevent relapse, while minimizing long-term toxicity. It aims to suppress any remaining cancer cells and keep them from regrowing, rather than aggressively destroying the tumor upfront. This contrasts with induction, which uses high-intensity therapy to achieve remission quickly; consolidation, which strengthens the response with additional treatment; and salvage, which is used after relapse or treatment failure. In many pediatric regimens, maintenance involves ongoing, lower-dose agents for an extended period to preserve gains from induction and consolidation.