precancerous

[ pree-kan-ser-uhs ]

adjective

showing pathological changes that may be preliminary to malignancy.

Origin of precancerous

1880–85; pre- + cancerous

Words Nearby precancerous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use precancerous in a sentence

Screening can readily identify precancerous growths called polyps, as well as early-stage cancers.
Chadwick Boseman’s Death From Colorectal Cancer Underscores An Alarming Increase In Cases Among Younger Adults As Well As Health Gaps For African Americans | LGBTQ-Editor | September 2, 2020 | No Straight News
The word ‘pre-cancerous’ occurred four times in the text, while ‘precancerous’ occurred twice, both in the index.
History of Circumcision from the Earliest Times to the Present | Peter Charles Remondino

British Dictionary definitions for precancerous

precancerous

adjective

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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