Therapyrelated

Therapy-related is an adjective used to describe outcomes, events, or effects that are attributable to a therapeutic intervention rather than to the underlying disease. In medical contexts, the term helps distinguish complications caused by treatment from symptoms or progression of the condition being treated. It is widely applied across pharmacologic, radiologic, surgical, and psychosocial or physical therapy modalities.

In practice, therapy-related adverse events or complications refer to problems that arise as a result of the therapy itself. Examples include cytopenias, neuropathies, or organ toxicity from medications; secondary malignancies following chemotherapy or radiation; immune-related toxicities from immunotherapy; or functional impairments that occur after a therapeutic procedure. The term can also encompass complications associated with physical or behavioral therapies when these are causally linked to the intervention rather than to the disease.

Attribution of a response or complication as therapy-related involves careful assessment. Clinicians consider the temporal relationship to treatment, dose or intensity, and the exclusion of other etiologies. Latency periods can vary widely depending on the therapy and the outcome. Patient factors such as age, prior therapies, and genetic predispositions influence risk and may guide monitoring and prevention strategies.

Clinical implications include informed consent, risk-benefit analysis, surveillance planning, and survivorship care. Therapy-related considerations are central to pharmacovigilance, safety reporting, and the design of safer therapeutic regimens.

See also: adverse event, iatrogenic, secondary malignancy, pharmacovigilance.