Definition

Describing something that slows down or stops the growth and division of cells.

Example

The doctor prescribed a cytostatic drug to help control the cancer cells.

Conversation

I read that some treatments use cytostatic drugs to fight cancer.

Yeah, those drugs are designed to slow down the growth of cancer cells.

That makes sense, but I wonder how they affect healthy cells too.

That's a good question; balancing the effects is always tricky in those treatments.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Definition

A substance that inhibits cell growth and division, often used in cancer treatment.

Example

The doctor prescribed a cytostatic to help control the patient's tumor growth.

Conversation

Have you heard about the new cytostatic drug they are testing?

Yeah, I read that it helps slow down cancer cell growth.

Exactly! It could be a game changer for patients.

Root Explanation

Cytostatic is formed from "cyto-" (from Greek "kytos", meaning cell) and "static" (from Greek "statikos", meaning causing to stand or stopping). The word describes something that stops or inhibits the growth of cells.

Memory Tip

Think of 'cells' ('cyto-') being 'stopped' ('static') — that's what cytostatic means.

Visually Confused Words