Glossary Section A through C

Letter A Section

Adjuvant therapy

Treatment given in addition to the primary treatment to enhance the effectiveness of the primary treatment.

Anemia

A reduction in the number of red blood cells.

Areola

The area of dark-colored skin that encircles the nipple.

Aspiration

Removal of fluid from a lump, often a cyst, using a needle and a syringe.

Atypical hyperplasia

Cells that are both abnormal (atypical) and increased in number. Benign microscopic breast changes known as atypical hyperplasia moderately increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Axilla

The underarm.

Benign

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

Benign breast changes

Noncancerous changes in the breast. Benign breast conditions can cause pain, lumpiness, nipple discharge, and other problems.

Biological therapy

The use of the body's immune system, either directly or indirectly, to fight cancer or to lessen side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Also called immunotherapy.

Biopsy

A microscope to check for cancer cells. Excisional biopsy is surgery to remove an entire lump and a margin of normal tissue surrounding it. In an incisional biopsy, which is done less frequently for breast tumors, the surgeon removes part of the tumor. Removal of tissue with a needle is called a needle biopsy.

Bone marrow

The soft, sponge like material inside some bones. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.

Bone marrow transplantation

A procedure in which doctors replace marrow destroyed by high doses of anticancer drugs or radiation. The replacement marrow may be taken from the patient before treatment or may be donated by another person. When the patient's own marrow is used, the procedure is called autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Breast cancer in situ

Very early or noninvasive abnormal cells that are confined to the duct (DCIS) or lobules (LCIS) of the breast.

Breast density

Calcifications

Small deposits of calcium in tissue, which can be seen on mammograms.

Cancer

A term for more than 100 diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.

Carcinoma

Cancer that begins in the lining or covering the surfaces of organs, glands, or other body structures.

Chemopause

Chemotherapy induced menopause. Chemoprevention

The use of drugs or vitamins to prevent cancer in people who have precancerous conditions or a high risk of cancer, or to prevent the recurrence of cancer in people who have already been treated for it.

Chemotherapy

Treatment with anticancer drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells; also used to shrink tumors before surgery.

Clear margins

An area of normal tissue that surrounds cancerous tissue, as seen during examination under a microscope.

Clinical trials

Research studies that involve patients. Each study is designed to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose or treat cancer.

Colony-stimulating factors

Substances that stimulate the production of blood cells. Treatment with colony-stimulating factors can help cells in the bone marrow recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Cyst