neoadjuvant

adjective

neo·​ad·​ju·​vant ˌnē-ō-ˈa-jə-vənt How to pronounce neoadjuvant (audio)
medical
: of, relating to, or being treatment (such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy) administered before primary cancer treatment (such as surgery) to enhance the outcome of primary treatment
In certain breast cancer, neoadjuvant therapies reduce recurrences by 50 percent in some situations.Jen Waters
The use of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy before resection of the primary pulmonary tumor is controversial, and data are lacking to guide clinicians.Michael Lanuti et al.
compare adjuvant entry 1 sense 2

Examples of neoadjuvant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Once that initial treatment—known as neoadjuvant or pre-operative treatment—is done, surgery is then performed for people healthy enough to undergo it. Sayaka Blickenderfer, Phd, Health, 18 Sep. 2024 First would be eight rounds of neoadjuvant chemotherapy over about four months, before surgical extraction of the tumor. Paige Stables, Allure, 22 Nov. 2023 When used with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, lobectomy is associated with a 33% five-year survival rate in people with stage 3a lung cancer. Lynne Eldridge, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2023 The trial showed that adding durvalumab before surgery and durvalumab plus chemotherapy after surgery cut the risk of disease recurrence or progression by 32% compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus placebo after about a year. Angus Chen Reprints, STAT, 20 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

neo- + adjuvant entry 2

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of neoadjuvant was in 1984

Dictionary Entries Near neoadjuvant

Cite this Entry

“Neoadjuvant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neoadjuvant. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!