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Glite Dictionary
tyrosine kinase inhibitor

tyrosine kinase inhibitor

7.0
A drug that stops proteins that make cancer cells grow, used to treat some cancers
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪrəˌsiːn kaɪˈneɪs ɪnˈhɪbɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : inhibidor de tirosina quinasa
  • A tyrosine kinase inhibitor can help manage chronic myeloid leukemia.

Examples

  • The doctor prescribed a tyrosine kinase inhibitor to manage his leukemia.

  • Many doctors prescribe tyrosine kinase inhibitors for cancer treatment.

  • New advances in tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy have improved outcomes for cancer patients.

  • Some patients develop resistance to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor over time.

  • The doctor prescribed a tyrosine kinase inhibitor to help treat her chronic myeloid leukemia.

  • Many patients respond well to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor during their cancer treatment.

  • Advancements in tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies continuously improve the prognosis for cancer patients.

Synonyms

cancer drug
vstyrosine kinase inhibitor
  • Specialized
11 3.2

A medicine that treats cancer by killing or stopping cancer cells

is a precise enzyme blocker used for some cancers rather than general therapy
angiogenesis inhibitor
vstyrosine kinase inhibitor
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A medicine that stops new blood vessels from growing to slow tumor growth

works by blocking specific cancer enzymes rather than blood vessel growth
cytotoxic drug
vstyrosine kinase inhibitor
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A medicine that kills cells and helps treat cancer during chemotherapy

uses targeted enzyme inhibition rather than general cell toxicity
antineoplastic drug
vstyrosine kinase inhibitor
  • Specialized
5.5

A drug that stops or kills cancer cells, usually given in chemotherapy

uses a specific enzyme-blocking method for certain cancers
antileukemic
vstyrosine kinase inhibitor
  • Specialized
5.5

A medicine that prevents or treats cancer of the blood

is an enzyme-blocking treatment used for some blood cancers rather than all types

Surface Forms

tyrosine kinase inhibitor singular
tyrosine kinase inhibitors plural

Morphology

tyrosine + kinase + inhibitor

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'tyrosine' (an amino acid) + 'kinase' (an enzyme that adds phosphate groups) identifies a specific enzyme, and 'inhibitor' denotes a substance that blocks it, so the overall meaning ('a substance that blocks tyrosine kinases') follows directly from the parts. Though technical and domain-specific, the derivation is predictable and cross-linguistically regular, so a learner who knows the constituent terms can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The term tyrosine kinase inhibitor comes from its parts: tyrosine is a small building block in cells, kinase is like a switch that tells cells to grow, and an inhibitor is something that blocks a switch. So a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a drug that blocks those switches and helps 'treat certain cancers' by stopping cell growth.