Related Terms • dysplasia • endometrial hyperplasia • malignant

Definition: Changes in cells which do not signify malignancy (cancer) but are "part-way there" or "moving towards" cancer. Intraepithelial neoplasia (dysplasia) and endometrial hyperplasia with atypia are two examples of precancerous conditions.

Pronunciation: pree CAN ser us • (adj)

Also Known As: premalignant, preinvasive

Alternate Spellings: pre-cancerous

Common Misspellings: precanserous

Related Resources:

Dysplasia 101

Making Sense of Hyperplasia

Q&A's About Dysplasia and HPV

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