Word parts
What it means
In cancer care, adjuvant therapy is chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy given after the main treatment (usually surgery) to kill any cancer cells left behind; neoadjuvant therapy is given before it. In pain management, an adjuvant analgesic is a drug made for another purpose that also relieves pain, such as some antidepressants and antiseizure drugs for nerve pain. In vaccines, an adjuvant is an ingredient that boosts the body's response.
At a glance
| Spanish | adyuvante |
|---|---|
| Also written | adjuvants |
Related terms
vaccine
A product that trains the immune system to protect the body against a specific disease.
antineoplastic
A drug used to treat cancer by killing cancer cells or stopping them from growing and dividing.
analgesic
A drug that relieves pain.
metastasis
The spread of cancer cells from where the cancer started to other parts of the body.
radiation therapy
Treatment that uses high-energy rays or radioactive material to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors.