neoadjuvant

adjective

neo·​ad·​ju·​vant ˌnē-ō-ˈa-jə-vənt 

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

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