1. A medical treatment or therapeutic approach used when first-line treatments have failed, proven ineffective, or are contraindicated
When the patient did not respond to the initial antibiotics, the doctor prescribed a second-line therapy.
Quando o paciente não respondeu aos antibióticos iniciais, o médico prescreveu uma terapia de segunda linha.
2. An alternative treatment strategy reserved for cases where the standard or preferred treatment is not suitable
The oncologist considered chemotherapy as a second-line therapy after surgery failed to eliminate the tumor.
O oncologista considerou a quimioterapia como uma terapia de segunda linha após o fracasso da cirurgia.