Palpation: Use of the fingers to press body surfaces, so as to feel tissues and organs underneath. Palpating the breast for lumps is a crucial part of a physical breast examination.
Pathologist: A doctor who diagnoses disease by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.
Permanent section: Biopsy tissue specially prepared and mounted on slides so that it can be examined under a microscope by a pathologist.
Phytochemicals: Naturally occurring chemicals found in plants that may be important nutrients for reducing a person's cancer risk.
Positron emission tomography (PET scanning): A technique that uses signals emitted by radioactive tracers to construct images of the distribution of the tracers in the human body.
Prophylactic mastectomy: Surgery to remove a breast that is not known to contain breast cancer, for the purpose of reducing an individual's cancer risk.
Rad: A unit of measure for radiation. It stands for radiation absorbed dose.
Radiation: Energy carried by waves or by streams of particles. Various forms of radiation can be used in low doses to diagnose disease and in high doses to treat disease. See X-rays.
Radiologist: A doctor with special training in the use of x-rays (and related technologies such as ultrasound) to image body tissues and to treat disease.
Risk: A measure of the likelihood of some uncertain or random event with negative consequences for human life or health.
Risk factors (for cancer): Conditions or agents that increase a person's chances of getting cancer. Risk factors do not necessarily cause cancer; rather, they are indicators, statistically associated with an increase in likelihood.
Sclerosing adenosis: A benign breast disease that involves the excessive growth of tissues in the breast's lobules.
Screening mammogram: Breast x-ray used to look for signs of disease such as cancer in people who are symptom-free.
Sonogram: The image produced by ultrasound.
Specimen x-ray: An x-ray of tissue that has been surgically removed (surgical specimen).
Stereotactic localization biopsy: A technique that employs three-dimensional x-ray to pinpoint a specific target area. It is used in conjunction with needle biopsy of nonpalpable breast abnormalities.
Surgical biopsy: The surgical removal of tissue for microscopic examination and diagnosis. Surgical biopsies can be either excisional or incisional. (See Excisional biopsy and Incisional biopsy.)
Tamoxifen: A hormonally related drug that has been used to treat breast cancer and is being tested as a possible preventive strategy.
Tumor: An abnormal growth of tissue. Tumors may be either benign or cancerous.
Tumor markers: Proteins (either amounts or unique variants) made by altered genes in cancer cells that are involved in the progression of the disease.
Two-step procedure: Biopsy and treatment done in two stages, usually a week or two apart.
Ultrasound: The use of sound waves to produce images of body tissues.
X-ray: A high-energy form of radiation. X-rays form an image of body structures by traveling through the body and striking a sheet of film. Breast x-rays are called mammograms.
abdomen (AB-do-men): The part of the body that contains the pancreas, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and other organs.
benign (beh-NINE): Not cancerous; does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
biological therapy (by-o-LAHJ-i-kul): 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 called immunotherapy or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.
biopsy (BY-ahp-see): A procedure used to remove cells or tissues in order to look at them under a microscope to 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.
bladder : The organ that stores urine.
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.
cervix (SER-viks): The lower, narrow end of the uterus that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina.
chemotherapy (kee-mo-THER-a-pee): 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.
