precancerous

American  

[pree-kan-ser-uhs] / priˈkæn sər əs /

adjective

1. showing pathological changes that may be preliminary to malignancy.

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precancerous British  

adjective

1. (esp of cells) displaying characteristics that may develop into cancer

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Etymology

Origin of precancerous

1880–85; pre- ( def. ) + cancerous ( def. )

Explanation

A symptom or condition is considered precancerous by doctors if it's likely to turn into cancer if it isn't removed or treated. Most doctors recommend surgically removing precancerous skin growths. Most moles are nothing more than spots of pigment on your skin, but occasionally moles are diagnosed as being precancerous, or containing disordered cells at risk of becoming cancerous. Some precancerous growths never turn into cancer, but the slight risk that they might is usually enough to concern medical experts. Some doctors also use the term precancerous to talk about non-aggressive, early forms of cancer.

Example Sentences

Cervical-cancer rates in the U.S. have dropped significantly since the 1970s thanks to widespread screening for precancerous cells and the rollout of the HPV vaccine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

However, an in-person colonoscopy is preferable because it can detect precancerous growths that doctors can remove.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

Routine colon cancer screenings often reveal small precancerous polyps, which can be removed before they become cancerous.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

He had, he was told, something called Barrett’s esophagus — a precancerous condition — caused by the injury done by the stomach acid.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024

This was a tremendous advance, because those precancerous cells weren’t detectable otherwise: they caused no physical symptoms and weren’t palpable or visible to the naked eye.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot