precancerous
adjective
pre·can·cer·ous
(ˌ)prē-ˈkan(t)s-rəs 
-ˈkan(t)-sə-
: tending to become cancerous
a precancerous lesion
Examples of precancerous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the procedure, the physician passes a long tube through the colon and manually identifies and removes polyps that could be cancerous or precancerous.
—
Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025
During this medical procedure, a doctor, usually a gastroenterologist (a doctor specialized in digestive issues) or surgeon, destroys irregular tissue that may be cancerous or dysplasia (precancerous) from your esophagus.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 7 Mar. 2025
Cancer researchers who weren’t involved in the study have also praised the results, with Jane Montealegre of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston attributing the fall in precancerous cell cases to increasing use of HPV shots.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
State of play: The CDC report found drops in precancerous lesion rates in other age groups screened, falling 37% among women who were 25 to 29 years old for the same period.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precancerous
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Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025
During this medical procedure, a doctor, usually a gastroenterologist (a doctor specialized in digestive issues) or surgeon, destroys irregular tissue that may be cancerous or dysplasia (precancerous) from your esophagus.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 7 Mar. 2025
Cancer researchers who weren’t involved in the study have also praised the results, with Jane Montealegre of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston attributing the fall in precancerous cell cases to increasing use of HPV shots.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
State of play: The CDC report found drops in precancerous lesion rates in other age groups screened, falling 37% among women who were 25 to 29 years old for the same period.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precancerous
Cite this Entry
“Precancerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precancerous. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
precancerous
adjective
pre·can·cer·ous
-ˈkan(t)s-(ə-)rəs
: tending to become cancerous : premalignant
a precancerous lesion
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