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neoadjuvant

American  
[nee-oh-aj-uh-vuhnt] / ˌni oʊˈædʒ ə vənt /

adjective

Medicine/Medical.
  1. utilizing drugs, radiation therapy, or other means of supplemental treatment before cancer surgery or other primary cancer treatment.

    Her neoadjuvant therapy included hormones and chemo, which shrank the tumor prior to its surgical removal.


Etymology

Origin of neoadjuvant

First recorded in 1980–85; neo- ( def. ) + adjuvant ( def. )


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The work, led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is now moving toward a first-of-its-kind neoadjuvant clinical trial.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

"Looking ahead, it will be critical to identify patient and disease characteristics that will tell us who can potentially be cured with neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy only and who will benefit from more intensified treatment strategies."

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

These findings add to recent success seen with neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy in NSCLC.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

"This study shows that a combination of neoadjuvant and adjuvant durvalumab offers benefit for patients and may have the potential to change standard-of-care for patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer," Heymach said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2023

Still, the race is on in both the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting, where treatment precedes surgery.

From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2018

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