Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Inhibidor de la proteasa
Protease inhibitor (PROH-tee-ays in-HIH-bih-ter)
A compound that interferes with the ability of certain enzymes to break down proteins. Some protease inhibitors can keep a virus from making copies of itself (for example, AIDS virus protease inhibitors), and some can prevent cancer cells from spreading.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.