Adjunctive

Adjunctive is an adjective meaning forming an addition to something else. It describes a factor, therapy, or procedure that is not essential to the primary treatment but serves to support or enhance it. In medicine and health care, adjunctive measures are those added to the principal intervention to improve outcomes, relieve symptoms, or reduce complications.

Etymology and usage vary by field. The term derives from Latin adjunctus, meaning joined or added. In medical writing, adjunctive therapy is distinct from the main treatment, though definitions differ across specialties. Some sources use adjuvant to refer to treatments given after the primary procedure, such as cancer surgery, to reduce recurrence, while adjunctive generally denotes supplementary measures used alongside the main treatment.

Examples of adjunctive use appear in several disciplines. In dentistry, adjunctive therapies include systemic antibiotics used with mechanical periodontal therapy, local antiseptics, or laser therapies to support periodontal healing. In psychiatry and psychology, adjunctive psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy is employed in addition to primary treatment to address comorbidity or enhance effectiveness. In oncology, adjunctive therapies such as targeted medications or radiation may accompany surgery or other primary treatments to improve outcomes, though adjuvant therapy remains a common term in certain contexts.

Considerations and evidence are important when selecting adjunctive measures. Their use depends on clinical evidence, patient factors, risk-benefit assessments, and costs. Not all adjunctive therapies prove beneficial in every setting, and some may carry risks, interactions, or side effects that must be weighed against potential gains.

See also: adjunct, adjunctive therapy, adjuvant therapy.