overtreatment

Definition of overtreatment

overtreatment (OH-ver-TREET-ment): Unnecessary treatment for a condition that is not life-threatening or would never cause any symptoms. Overtreatment may lead to problems and harmful side effects. Overtreatment can be a result of overdiagnosis, which occurs when a cancer screening test finds a lesion that would have gone away on its own or not caused problems.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms