{a}

adjuvant therapy: Treatment given after the primary treatment to make it work better. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.

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aspirate: Fluid withdrawn from a lump, often a cyst, or a nipple.

atypical hyperplasia: A benign (noncancerous) condition in which cells have abnormal features and are increased in number.

autologous bone marrow transplantation: A procedure in which bone marrow is removed from a person, stored, and then given back to the person after intensive treatment.

axilla: The underarm or armpit.

axillary: Pertaining to the armpit area, including the lymph nodes that are located there.

axillary lymph node dissection: Surgery to remove lymph nodes found in the armpit region.

{b}

benign: Not cancerous; does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

biological therapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. Also used to lessen side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Also known as immunotherapy, biotherapy, or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.

biopsy: A procedure used to remove cells or tissues to look at them under a microscope and check for signs of disease. When an 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 aspiration.

bone marrow: The soft, sponge-like tissue in the center of bones that produces white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

breast reconstruction: Surgery to rebuild a breast's shape after a mastectomy.

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).

{c}

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

carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.

chemotherapy: Treatment with anticancer drugs.

clinical trial: A research study that tests how well new medical treatments or other interventions work in people. Each study is designed to test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease.

colony-stimulating factors: Substances that stimulate the production of blood cells. Colony-stimulating factors include granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (also called G-CSF and filgrastim), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (also called GM-CSF and sargramostim), and promegapoietin.

cyst: A sac or capsule filled with fluid.

{d}

duct: A tube through which body fluids pass.

ductal carcinoma in situ: Abnormal cells that involve only the lining of a duct. The cells have not spread outside the duct to other tissues in the breast. Also called intraductal carcinoma.

{e}

estrogens: A family of hormones that promote the development and maintenance of female sex characteristics.

{f}

fine-needle aspiration: The removal of tissue or fluid with a needle for examination under a microscope. Also called needle biopsy.

{g}

gene: The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.

{h}

hormonal therapy: Treatment of cancer by removing, blocking, or adding hormones. Also called endocrine therapy.

hormone receptor test: A test to measure the amount of certain proteins, called hormone receptors, in cancer tissue. Hormones can attach to these proteins. A high level of hormone receptors may mean that hormones help the cancer grow.

hormone replacement therapy: HRT. Hormones (estrogen, progesterone, or both) given to postmenopausal women or women who have had their ovaries surgically removed, to replace the estrogen no longer produced by the ovaries.

hormones: Chemicals produced by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream. Hormones control the actions of certain cells or organs.

hysterectomy: An operation in which the uterus is removed.

{i}

incision: A cut made in the body during surgery.

infertility: The inability to produce children.

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 also show the pitted appearance called peau d'orange (like the skin of an orange). The redness and warmth occur because the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin.

invasive 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.

{l}

lobe: A portion of an organ such as the liver, lung, breast, or brain.

lobular carcinoma in situ: LCIS. Abnormal cells found in the lobules of the breast. This condition seldom becomes invasive cancer; however, having lobular carcinoma in situ increases one's risk of developing breast cancer in either breast.

lobule: A small lobe or subdivision of a lobe.

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

lumpectomy: Surgery to remove the tumor and a small amount of normal tissue around it.

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

lymph node: A rounded mass of lymphatic tissue that is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue. Also known as a lymph gland. Lymph nodes are spread out along lymphatic vessels and contain many lymphocytes, which filter the lymphatic fluid (lymph).

lymphatic system: The tissues and organs that produce, store, and carry white blood cells that fight infection and other diseases. This system includes the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and 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 condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. It may occur in the arm or leg after lymph vessels or lymph nodes in the underarm or groin are removed or treated with radiation.

{m}

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: Cancerous; a growth with a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

mammogram: An x-ray of the breast.

mammography: The use of x-rays to create a picture of the breast.

mastectomy: Surgery to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible).

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

menopause: The time of life when a woman's menstrual periods stop permanently. Also called "change of life."

menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of hormonal changes from the beginning of one menstrual period to the beginning of the next.

menstruation: Periodic discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus. Until menopause, menstruation occurs approximately every 28 days when a woman is not pregnant.

metastasis: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Tumors formed from cells that have spread are called "secondary tumors" and contain cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. The plural is metastases.

microcalcifications: Tiny deposits of calcium in the breast that cannot be felt but can be detected on a mammogram. A cluster of these very small specks of calcium may indicate that cancer is present.

modified radical mastectomy: Surgery for breast cancer in which the breast, some of the lymph nodes under the arm, the lining over the chest muscles, and sometimes part of the chest wall muscles are removed.

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 a tumor.

{n}

neoadjuvant therapy: Treatment given before the primary treatment. Neoadjuvant therapy can be chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.

nipple discharge: Fluid coming from the nipple.

{o}

ovaries: The pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed. The ovaries are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus.

{p}

pathologist: A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

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 after treatment to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells. Transplantation may be autologous (an individual's own 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.

plastic surgeon: A surgeon who specializes in reducing scarring or disfigurement that may occur as a result of accidents, birth defects, or treatment for diseases.

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

progesterone: A female hormone.

prosthesis: An artificial replacement of a part of the body.

{r}

radiation oncologist: A doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer.

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 material called radioisotopes. Radioisotopes produce radiation and can be placed in or near a tumor or near cancer cells. This type of radiation treatment is called internal radiation therapy, implant 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: Surgery for breast cancer in which the breast, chest muscles, and all of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed. For many years, this was the operation most used, but it is used now only when the tumor has spread to the chest muscles. Also called the Halsted radical mastectomy.

risk factor: A habit, trait, condition, or genetic alteration that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.

{s}

screening: Checking for disease when there are no symptoms.

segmental mastectomy: The 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. Usually some of the lymph nodes under the arm are also taken out. Sometimes called partial mastectomy.

sentinel lymph node biopsy: Procedure in which a dye or radioactive substance is injected near the tumor and flows into the sentinel lymph nodes(s) (the first lymph node(s) that cancer is likely to spread to from the primary tumor). A surgeon then looks for the dye or uses a scanner to find the sentinel lymph node(s) and removes it (or them) to check for the presence of tumor cells.

stage: The extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.

surgery: A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present.

systemic: Affecting the entire body.

{t}

tissue: A group or layer of cells that are alike in type and work together to perform a specific function.

total mastectomy: Removal of the breast. Also called simple mastectomy.

tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue that results from excessive cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function. They may be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

{u}

ultrasonography: A procedure in which sound waves (called ultrasound) are bounced off tissues and the echoes are converted to a picture (sonogram).

{x}

x-ray: High-energy radiation used in low doses to diagnose diseases and in high doses to treat cancer.