GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Abnormal: Not normal; may be cancerous or pre-malignant.

Acute: Sharp, severe; having a recent onset; not longstanding.

Adenocarcinoma: Cancer arising in gland-forming tissue; the medical term meaning ‘related to a gland’ is “adeno;” breast lobules and ducts are types of glands.

Adjuvant: Treatment given after primary breast surgery to prevent or delay recurrence. Treatment given as “preventive”, when there is no obvious evidence of cancer. Usually refers to addition of hormonal therapy or chemotherapy. /p>

Advanced Practice Nurse (Clinical Nurse Specialist, or Nurse Practitioner): A nurse with extra education and training who is available to monitor your status, answer questions, and provide information on resources and support services.

Alopecia: Hair loss

Alteration, altered: Change, different from original

Anesthesia: Drugs given before and during surgery so that the patient doesn’t feel pain; the patient may be awake or asleep.

Anesthesiologist: A doctor who gives drugs or gases that keep the patient comfortable during surgery so they do not experience pain.

Areola: The area of dark-colored skin on the breast that surrounds the nipple.

Aspirate: Fluid withdrawn from a lump, often a cyst, or a nipple.

Aspiration: Removal of fluid from a lump, often a cyst, with a needle and a syringe.

Atypical: Irregular or unusual.

Atypical hyperplasia: A benign (noncancerous) condition in which cells have abnormal features and are increased in number. This lesion places women at a higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

Autologous: Taken from oneself; in an autologous bone marrow transplant, bone marrow is removed from the patient, frozen, and returned to the same patient, following high-dose chemotherapy.

Axilla: Armpit.

Axillary node dissection: Removal of some of the lymph nodes in the armpit to aid in staging of breast cancer.

Benign: A growth that is NOT cancerous.

Biological therapy: Cancer treatment with substances which are derived from the body’s own system of defense. Examples include interferon, interleukin, monoclonal antibodies, and cytokines.

Biopsy: Removal of a sample of tissue that is then examined under a microscope by a pathologist to see if cancer is present. When the entire tumor or lesion is removed, the procedure is called an excisional biopsy. When only a sample of tissue is removed, the procedure is called an incisional biopsy or core biopsy. When a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle, the procedure is called a needle biopsy or fine-needle biopsy.

Bone marrow: The soft material inside bones. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.

Breast cancer in situ: Very early or noninvasive abnormal cells that are confined to the ducts or lobules in the breast. Also known as DCIS or LCIS.

Breast conserving surgery: An operation to remove the breast cancer but not the breast itself. Types of breast conserving surgery include lumpectomy (removal of the lump), quadrantectomy (removal of one quarter of the breast), and segmental mastectomy (removal of the cancer as well as some of the breast tissue around the tumor and the lining over the chest muscles below the tumor).

Breast reconstruction: Surgery to rebuild the shape of a breast.

Cancer: A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control or order. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic systems to other parts of the body.

Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the lining or covering of an organ.

Case manager: A healthcare professional who assists in monitoring the financial aspects of your care, including insurance coverage and discharge planning.

Cell: The smallest unit of tissues that make up any living thing. Cells have very specialized structure and function and are able to reproduce when needed.

Chemotherapy: Treatment with drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells; also used to shrink tumors prior to surgery.

Chronic: Long drawn out; not acute. Clavicle: collarbone.

Clear margins: An area of normal tissue that surrounds cancer tissue.

Clinical nurse specialist: A nurse with special training in oncology; works in conjunction with a medical oncologist; an excellent resource on cancer and support services; an oncology nurse or a nurse practitioner may perform similar duties.

Clinical trials: Controlled research studies for cancer treatment, in order to determine the best possible treatment for a specific condition. take place in many hospitals and cancer centers across the country, with sponsorship and review by the National Cancer Institute. In these clinical trials, doctors use the newest treatments to care for cancer patients. By agreeing to participate in a clinical trial, the patient agrees to follow the protocol of the specified drugs and to cooperate with the scientists to find new, improved treatments for cancer. Participation is voluntary in all clinical trials and patients may drop out of a clinical trial if they wish.

Colony-stimulating factors: Substances that stimulate the production of blood cells (which are described as growing in colonies). Treatment with colony stimulating factors (CSF) can help the blood-forming tissue recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Complementary therapies: Non-traditional therapies used to complement traditional medical procedures. These might include therapeutic touch, art therapy, music therapy, aromatherapy, biofeedback, yoga, meditation, nutritional supplements, and numerous others. Please refer to the section on Wellness for more details.

Core biopsy: A biopsy that uses a small cutting needle to remove a sample of tissue from a breast

Cyst: A sac or mass filled with fluid.

Duct: A small channel in the breast through which milk passes from the lobes to the nipple.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: (DCIS, also called intraductal carcinoma) Abnormal cancer cells that involve only the lining of milk duct. The cells have not spread outside the duct to other tissues in the breast. It is sometimes referred to as intraductal carcinoma.

Erythrocytes: Red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to cells in all parts of the body, and carry carbon dioxide from the cells back to the lungs.

Estrogen: A female hormone manufactured primarily by the ovaries. Estrogen or progesterone receptor test: Laboratory tests done to determine if breast cancer will respond to tamoxifen

Estrogen replacement therapy: Estrogen in pill or patch form which is given after menopause to reduce menopause symptoms. Prolonged use has been linked to higher risk for breast cancer.

Excisional biopsy: Surgical removal of the whole lump and some surrounding tissue.

Fine needle aspiration: A biopsy that uses a fine needle to remove fluid from a cyst or a cluster of cells from a solid lump.

Gene: The basic unit of heredity found in all cells of the body. Made of DNA

Grade: A grading scale of 1-III or 1-IV with the higher number being the worst; based on the cellular structure of the tumor; determined by the pathologist.

Gynecologist: A doctor who specializes in the care and treatment of women's reproductive systems.

Herceptin (trastuzumab): A monoclonal antibody designed to destroy breast cancer cells which over express an abnormal oncogene called HER 2. Herceptin only works in patients whose tumor over expresses HER 2. HER 2 is identified in less than 25% of all breast cancers.

Hormonal therapy: The use of hormones to treat cancer patients by removing, blocking, or adding to the effects of a hormone on an organ or part of the body.

Hormone receptor tests: Lab tests that determine if a breast cancer depends on female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) for growth. A high level of hormone receptors may mean that hormones help the cancer grow.

Hormone replacement therapy: Often referred to as HRT, hormones (estrogen and/or progesterone) may be given to postmenopausal women to alleviate symptoms of menopause. Long-term usage has been shown to be a risk factor for breast cancer

Hormones: Substances produced by various glands in the body that affect the function of body organs and tissues.

Hyperplasia: An abnormal overgrowth of cells.

Hysterectomy: An operation in which the uterus is removed. Sometimes the ovaries and fallopian tubes are also removed.

Immune system: The body's own natural defense system against infection or disease.

Immunotherapy: see biological therapy

Implant: A silicone or saline-filled sac inserted under the chest muscle to restore breast shape.

In situ: Very early or noninvasive abnormal cells that are confined to the ducts or lobules in the breast; also known as DCIS or LCIS.

Incision: A cut made in the body during surgery.

Incisional biopsy: Surgical removal of a portion of an abnormal area of tissue or lump.

Infertility: The inability to produce children.

Infiltrating or Invasive Breast Cancer: Cancer that has spread to nearby tissue, lymph nodes in the armpit, or other parts of the body.

Inflammatory breast cancer: A type of breast cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen, and feels warm. The skin of the breast may show a pitted appearance. The redness and warmth occur because the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin.

Intraductal carcinoma: Abnormal cells that are contained within the milk duct and have not spread outside the duct. Also known as DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ).

Intravenous (IV): An injection into the vein

Invasive breast cancer: Cancer that has spread beyond the layer of tissue in which it developed and is growing into surrounding, healthy tissues. Also called infiltrating cancer.

Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change.

Leukocytes: White blood cells that defend the body against infections and other diseases.

Lobe, lobule: Located at the end of a breast duct, the part of the breast where milk is made. Each breast contains 15 to 20 sections, called lobes, each with many smaller lobules.

Lobular carcinoma in situ: (LCIS also called lobular neoplasm): Abnormal cells in the lobules of the breast; a sign that a woman is at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Local therapy: Treatment that affects cells in the tumor and the area close to it.

Localization biopsy: Using mammography or ultrasound to locate an area of concern that cannot be felt by hand.

Lumpectomy: A surgical removal of breast cancer and a small amount of normal tissue surrounding the cancer.

Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infection and disease.

Lymph nodes: Small bean-shaped organs (sometimes called glands); part of the lymphatic system; lymph nodes remove waste from body tissues and filter the fluids that help the body fight infection; lymph nodes under the arm drain fluid from the chest and arm. During surgery, some underarm lymph nodes are usually removed to determine the stage of breast cancer.

Lymphatic system: The system of the body that removes wastes from body tissues and filters the fluids that help the body fight infection. This system includes the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and a network of thin tubes that carry lymph and white blood cells. These tubes branch, like blood vessels, into all the tissues of the body.

Lymphedema: A swelling which occasionally occurs following treatment for breast cancer; an accumulation of lymph fluid in the arm. It occurs because the lymph nodes were removed to stage breast cancer and/or damaged by radiation therapy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A procedure in which a magnet linked to a computer is used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body.

Malignant : Cancer; capable of invading, spreading, and destroying tissue.

Mammogram or Mammography: An x-ray of the breast.

Mastectomy: Removing the breast by surgery.

Medical oncologist: A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating all forms of cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy. A medical oncologist often serves as the patient's main caretaker and coordinates treatment provided by other specialists.

Menopause: The time of life when a woman stops having monthly menstrual periods.

Metastasis: Spread of cancer from one part of the body to another; cells that have metastasized are like those in the original (primary) tumor.

Microcalcifications: Tiny deposits of calcium that can be detected by mammography. A cluster of small specks of calcium may indicate that cancer is present.

Modified radical mastectomy: Breast surgery, which removes as much breast tissue as possible; the most common mastectomy procedure that is performed today.

Monoclonal antibodies: Laboratory-produced substances that can locate and bind to cancer cells wherever they are in the body. Many monoclonal antibodies are used in cancer detection or therapy; each one recognizes a different protein on certain cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies can be used alone, or they can be used to deliver drugs, toxins, or radioactive material directly to the tumor.

Needle localization biopsy: Use of mammography or ultrasound to guide a needle to a suspicious area that cannot be felt but shows up on a mammogram, and/or ultrasound.

Negative: A lab test result that is normal; failing to show a positive result for the specific disease or condition for which the test is being done.

Neoadjuvant therapy: Treatment given before surgery to shrink a tumor so that operation is possible. Neoadjuvant therapy can be chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.

Nipple discharge: Fluid coming from the nipple.

Nutritionist or dietitian: A health professional with specialized training in nutrition, who can offer help and choices about the foods one should eat.

Oncologist, medical oncologist, or cancer specialist: A doctor who uses chemotherapy or hormonal therapy to treat cancer.

Oncology nurse: A nurse with special training in caring for cancer patients.

Oncology pharmacy specialist: A person who prepares anticancer drugs in consultation with an oncologist.

Oncotype Diagnostic Test: Twenty-one gene assay run on the invasive tumor may better predict prognosis and patient's ability to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. It is usually is run on Stage I or II patients who are lymph node negative, ER positive or PR positive breast cancers.

Ovaries: The pair of female reproductive organs that produce eggs and hormones.

Palpable: Perceptible by touch; able to be felt.

Palliation: Act of relieving a symptom without curing the cause.

Palliative Care: Treatment that continues after a cure is no longer possible. Procedures are administered to relieve pain and manage symptoms.

Papilloma: a benign breast tumor; an abnormal growth.

Partial mastectomy: A simple excision of tumor and wider margin of healthy tissue.

Pathologist: A doctor who examines tissues and cells under a microscope to determine if they are normal or abnormal.

Pathology report: Diagnosis made by a pathologist based on microscopic evidence.

PDQ: NCI's computer database that contains up-to-date cancer information for scientists, healthcare professionals, patients, and the public.

Peripheral stem cell transplantation: A method of replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by cancer treatment. Immature blood cells (stem cells) in the circulating blood that are similar to those in the bone marrow are given to the person after treatment to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells. Transplantation may be autologous (the person's blood cells saved earlier), allogeneic (blood cells donated by someone else), or syngeneic (blood cells donated by an identical twin); also called peripheral stem cell support.

Physical therapist: A health care professional who teaches strategies to help maintain and restore arm and shoulder movement, to build back strength after breast cancer surgery, and to manage lymphedema when it is evident.

Physiatrist: A medical doctor who has specialized in rehabilitation and functional deficits that might occur following a major injury or illness.

Plastic surgeon or reconstructive surgeon: A doctor who can surgically rebuild (reconstruct) a woman's breast.

Platelets: The part of a blood cell that helps prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form at the site of an injury.

Positive: A lab test result that reveals the presence of a specific disease or condition for which the test is being done. When breast cancer tests come back, "positive" it means there is cancer.

Positron emission tomography scan: PET scan. A computerized image of the metabolic activity of body tissues used to determine the presence of disease.

Primary care doctor: A doctor who usually manages a patient's health care. Many insurance providers require that a patient see a primary care physician before they can see any specialist (including a surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, or physical therapist).

Progesterone: A female hormone; one of the hormones that can help some breast cancers grow.

Progesterone receptor test: Lab test to determine if a breast cancer will respond to tamoxifen.

Prognosis: Possibility of recovery; prediction of the course or outcome of the disease.

Prosthesis: An external breast form that may be worn in a bra after a mastectomy. Also, prosthesis is the technical name of a breast form that is place under the skin in breast reconstruction.

Psychologist: A specialist who can talk with you and your family about emotional and personal matters, and can help you make decisions.

Quadrentectomy: A removal of one quarter of the breast

Radiation: Energy carried by waves or by streams of particles. Various forms of radiation can be used in low doses to diagnose cancer and in high doses to treat breast cancer.

Radiation oncologist: A doctor who uses radiation therapy to treat cancer.

Radiation therapist: A health professional who gives radiation treatments.

Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external beam radiation therapy) or from materials called radioisotopes. Radioisotopes produce radiation and are placed in or near the tumor or in the area near cancer cells. This type of radiation treatment is called internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, interstitial radiation, or brachytherapy. Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body. Also called radiotherapy.

Radical mastectomy: Breast surgery used when a tumor has spread extensively to the chest muscles and ribs; standard procedure years ago, less common today.

Radiologist: A doctor who uses ultrasounds, x-rays, mammograms, MRIs, CT Scans, and bone scans for the diagnosis and follow-up care of breast cancer and other medical conditions.

Recurrence: Reappearance of cancer at the same site (local recurrence), near the original site (regional recurrence), or in other areas of the body (distant recurrence).

Risk factors: Conditions that increase a person's chance of getting a disease; risk factors do not cause cancer; rather, they are indicators, linked with an increased risk.

Screening: Checking for disease when there are no symptoms.

Sentinel lymph node: The first lymph node(s) to which cancer cells spread after leaving the area of the primary tumor; presence of cancer cells in this node alerts the doctor that the tumor has spread to the lymphatic system.

Silicone: A synthetic liquid gel that is used as an outer coating on implants; also used to make the inside filling of some breast implants.

Social worker: A professional skilled in talking with patients and their family members about emotional and/or physical needs; an excellent resource for support.

Stage or staging: Classifying breast cancer according to its size and whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body.

Standard: Usual, common, customary.

Stem cells: The immature cells in the blood and bone marrow from which all mature blood cells develop.

Stereotactic needle biopsy: A technique that uses double-view mammography to pinpoint a specific target area when a lump cannot be felt.

Surgeon or surgical oncologist: A doctor who performs biopsies and other surgical procedures such as removing a lump (lumpectomy), a breast (mastectomy), or sampling lymph nodes.

Surgery: An operation.

Systemic: Affecting the entire body.

Tamoxifen: A hormone blocker used to treat breast cancer.

Technologist: A female professional who takes mammograms but does not interpret them. A radiologist supervises the technologist and interprets the mammogram.

Tissue: A group or layer of cells that together perform a specific function.

Tissue flap reconstruction: A flap of tissues surgically relocated from another area of the body to the chest, and formed into a new breast mound.

Titration: A system of balancing; In chemotherapy titration means using the larges amount of drug possible while keeping the side effects from becoming intolerable.

Total mastectomy: Breast surgery that removes as much breast tissue as possible; however, the lymph nodes in the armpit are not removed.

Tumor: An abnormal growth of tissue; tumors may be either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Ultrasound: A technique that uses high-frequency sound waves reflecting off internal body parts to create images for medical examination. Therapists can also use ultrasound to treat deep tissue disorders.

Ultrasound-guided biopsy: A biopsy done with guidance from ultrasound.

X rays: A high energy form of radiation; used in low doses for diagnosing diseases and in high doses to treat cancer.

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