Glossary

Adjuvant chemotherapy
Medicine, drug or agent added to another drug or agent to enhance its medical effectiveness.

Areola
The small circular dark area around the nipple in humans.

Aromatase inhibitors
A drug that inhibits the enzyme aromatase and by that means, lowers the level of the estrogen estradiol.

Aspiration
The use of a thin needle to withdraw material from the body. For example, this method is commonly used to determine whether a nodule in the thyroid gland is benign or malignant (fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid). A fine gauge needle is placed into the nodule and a drop of blood is withdrawn. The cells are studied under the microscope by a pathologist.

Axilla
The cavity beneath the junction of the arm and the body, better known as the armpit.

Benign tumor
Non cancerous or Not malignant. A benign tumor does not invade surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor may grow but it stays put (in the same place).

Biopsy
The removal of a tissue sample for purpose of diagnosis. (Many definitions of "biopsy" stipulate that the sample of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. This may or may not be the case. The diagnosis may be achieved by other means such as by analysis of chromosomes or genes.)

Breast
The breast refers to the front of the chest or, more specifically, to the mammary gland. The mammary gland is a milk producing gland. It is composed largely of fat. Within the mammary gland is a complex network of branching ducts. These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules, which can produce milk in females. The ducts exit the breast at the nipple.

Breast cancer
Breast cancer is diagnosed with self- and physician-examination of the breasts, mammography, ultrasound testing, and biopsy. There are many types of breast cancer that differ in their capability of spreading to other body tissues (metastasis). Treatment of breast cancer depends on the type and location of the breast cancer, as well as the age and health of the patient. The American Cancer Society recommends that a woman should have a baseline mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40 years. Between 40 and 50 years of age mammograms are recommended every other year. After age 50 years, yearly mammograms are recommended.

Breast pain
Pain in the breast or mammary gland, known medically as mastalgia.

BRCA 1 gene (Breast Cancer Gene 1)
A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast but which, when mutated, predisposes to breast cancer. The gene's full name is breast cancer 1, early onset.

BRCA 2 gene (Breast Cancer Gene 2)
A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast and ovary but which, when mutated, may predispose to breast cancer and to ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations have also been discovered to be responsible for a significant fraction of early-onset prostate cancer. The first breast cancer genes identified were BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for about half of all cases of inherited breast cancer. These tumors tend to occur in young women. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are usually not involved in breast cancer that is not hereditary.

Cancer
An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread). Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100 different and distinctive diseases. Cancer can involve any tissue of the body and have many different forms in each body area. Most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in which they start. If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), the new tumor bears the same name as the original (primary) tumor.

Cancer symptoms
Abnormal sensations or conditions that persons can notice that are a result of a cancer. It is important to see your doctor for regular checkups and not to wait for problems to occur. But you should also know that the following symptoms may be associated with cancer: changes in bowel or bladder habits, a sore that does not heal, unusual bleeding or discharge, thickening or lump in the breast or any other part of the body, indigestion or difficulty swallowing, obvious change in a wart or mole, nagging cough or hoarseness. These symptoms are not always a sign of cancer. They can also be caused by less serious conditions. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis. It is important to see a doctor if you have any of these symptoms. Don't wait to feel pain. Early cancer often does not cause pain.

Carcinogen
Substance or agent that causes cancer. Related terms include the adjective "carcinogenic" and the nouns "carcinogenesis" and "carcinogenicity." One of the best-known carcinogens is ionizing radiation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified some 60 substances and processes as probably or definitely carcinogenic in humans. These substances and processes are divided into three categories -- Agents and groups of agents, Mixtures, and Exposure circumstances.

Carcinoma
Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. For example, carcinoma can arise in the breast, colon, liver, lung, prostate, and stomach.

Carcinoma in situ
Cancer that involves only the place in which it began and that has not spread. Carcinoma in situ is an early-stage tumor. For example, squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen's disease) is an early cancer of the skin. It develops from squamous cells which are flat, scale like cells in the outer layer of the skin (the epithelium). The term "in situ" (borrowed from the Romans) means "in the natural or normal place" and, in the case of cancer, it means that the tumor cells are still confined to the site where they originated and they have neither invaded neighboring tissues nor metastasized far. The tumor is curable.

Cyst
A cyst is an abnormal, closed sac-like structure within a tissue that contains a liquid, gaseous, or semisolid substance. A cyst can occur anywhere in the body and can vary in size. The outer, or capsular, portion of a cyst is termed the cyst wall.

Duct
A passage or a tube with well-defined walls suitable for the conveyance of air or liquids, as the bile duct and the pancreatic duct.

Estrogen
Estrogen is a female hormone produced by the ovaries. Estrogen deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.

Estrogen receptor
"Designer estrogen" which possesses some, but not all, of the actions of estrogen. For example, raloxifene (trade name EVISTA) is classified as a SERM because it prevents bone loss (like estrogen) and lowers serum cholesterol (like estrogen) but (unlike estrogen) does not stimulate the endometrial lining of the uterus.

Fibroadenoma
A benign growth in the breast that is solid, firm, smooth and usually painless or only slightly tender. Fibroadenomas are very common. A woman may have several. They sometimes grow quickly in teenagers or during pregnancy. Their peak incidence is in women 30 to 35 years old. To fibroadenomas are benign and are not malignant.

Lumpectomy
The surgical removal of a small tumor (a lump) which may or may not be benign (or malignant). Lumpectomy has come to refer specially to the removal of a lump from the breast.

Lymphedema
A common chronic, debilitating condition in which excess fluid called lymph collects in tissues and causes swelling (edema) in them. Lymphedema (edema due to lymphatic fluid) may occur in the arms or legs. This often happens after lymph vessels or lymph nodes in the axilla (armpit) or groin are removed by surgery or damaged by radiation, impairing the normal drainage of lymphatic fluid. Lymphedema may also be due to a mass such as a tumor pressing on the lymphatic vessels.

Malignant
In regard to a tumor, having the properties of a malignancy that can invade and destroy nearby tissue and that may spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

Mammogram
An X-ray of the breast with the breast in a device that compresses and flattens it. There are two basic mammogram tests -- screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms.

Ultrasonography
High-frequency sound waves. Ultrasound waves can be bounced off of tissues using special devices. The echoes are then converted into a picture called a sonogram. Ultrasound imaging, referred to as ultrasonography, allows physicians and patients to get an inside view of soft tissues and body cavities, without using invasive techniques. Ultrasound is often used to examine a fetus during pregnancy. There is no convincing evidence for any danger from ultrasound during pregnancy.