adjuvant chemotherapy
(A-juh-vunt KEE-moh-THAYR-uh-pee)
Anticancer drugs given after the primary (or first) treatment to kill any cancer cells that remain in the body and to lower the risk that the cancer will come back. For example, adjuvant chemotherapy may be given after breast cancer surgery to kill any remaining breast cancer cells and to help keep the cancer from coming back. Adjuvant chemotherapy may sometimes be called preventative chemotherapy.