Dictionary of Terms
Adjuvant (additional) therapies cancer treatments besides surgery. Main adjuvant therapies are chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy.
Allopathy a system of treatment where a condition is treated with its opposite, unlike homeopathy. Orthodox medicine is allopathic.
Anaemia shortage of red blood cells, leading to a lack of oxygen in the tissues.
Analgesia painkilling drugs.
Anti-emetic a drug to relieve nausea, or feeling sick.
Axilla the armpit.
Axillary dissection surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit region.
Benign describes a tumour which is not malignant and will not spread to other tissues.
Biopsy a sample of living tissue taken for examination.
Blood count the number of a blood component (e.g. white blood cells) in a sample of blood.
BRCA1 an inherited faulty gene which can mean an increased risk of developing breast, ovarian or bowel cancer.
BRCA2 an inherited faulty gene which can mean an increased risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate, male breast cancer and malignant melanoma.
Breast aware being conscious of what is normal for oneself, so that even small changes in a breast are noticeable.
Breast conserving surgery cancer surgery where the major part of a breast is left intact (e.g. lumpectomy, wide local excision).
Carcinoma a malignant growth.
Catheter a tube inserted in the body to supply or remove liquid.
Central venous catheter (a Hickman line) a tube supplying liquid into a vein in the upper body.
Chemotherapy drug treatment to destroy cancer cells.
Chromosome the part of each cell that contains DNA.
Clinical oncologist a doctor who deals specifically with treating patients with cancer with radiotherapy (radiotherapist).
Clinical trial a test for a new drug or treatment, whereby the outcome in a group of patients who take the drug is compared with those of a similar group who do not take it.
Complementary therapy a healing treatment usually from a tradition outside Western medicine which can be used alongside orthodox treatment.
Core biopsy a small section of tissue taken for analysis.
CT scan (Computed Tomography) an X-ray method that uses three-dimensional images analysed by a computer to show structures within the body.
Cyst a small, usually hard, fluid-filled benign growth in the tissues.
Cytotoxic poisonous to cells.
Detoxification a process whereby potentially harmful waste products are removed from the body.
Differentiation the process whereby cells become part of recognizable tissues, e.g. bone cells or liver cells.
Distant metastasis a cancer which has spread to a part of the body away from the primary site.
Ductal carcinoma in situ a pre-invasive cancer in the cells of the breast ducts.
Endocrine gland any gland which secretes hormones into the bloodstream, e.g. the ovaries, pituitary, pancreas.
Endocrine therapy treatment using hormones as drugs.
Familial describes conditions which ‘run in families’ and which we may be prone to because of genetics.
Fibroadenoma a benign tumour of glandular and fibrous tissue. Most breast lumps in young women are fibroadenomas.
Fibrosis thickening and scarring of tissue caused by injury or inflammation.
Fine needle aspiration cytology the removal of cells for examination by suction, using a needle and syringe.
First-degree relative someone related directly to you by blood: a parent, sibling or child.
Gene a unit of heredity, coded on the DNA in the nucleus of cells, which we inherit from our parents and pass to our children.
Grade in breast cancer, the degree of cellular change in a cancer from normal breast tissue. Breast cancer can be grade 1, 2 or 3, with grade 1 showing least change.
Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor a circulating hormonal substance that controls the growth of some of the white cells of the blood.
HER-2 positive breast cancer one which responds to a protein called
HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), and which is treated by drugs which target the protein.
Hereditary describes a feature or condition which is passed from parent to child.
Hickman line see central venous catheter.
Holistic describes an approach to treatment which takes into account more than just the physical body.
Hormone chemical messengers that play a part in regulating growth and reproduction.
Hormone therapy drug treatment using hormones.
Incidence the number of cases occurring in a given population during a set period, usually expressed as cases per 1000 or 10000 per year.
Intravenous infusion passing a liquid into a vein, where it is rapidly dispersed around the body.
Invasive ductal carcinoma a cancer in the breast duct which has the ability to spread.
Invasive lobular carcinoma a cancer in the lobes of the breast with the ability to spread.
Immune system the body’s natural defences against infection.
Implant a manufactured, usually silicone, device which is put surgically into the breast to enlarge it or to replace tissue that has been removed.
Implanted port a catheter system with a catheter inserted into a large vein above the heart with a port under the skin into which fluids can be injected.
Isotope bones scan the use of radioactive isotopes which can be safely introduced into the body and which tend to concentrate in the bone, and can be measured with a gamma camera.
Local recurrence the re-growth of a cancer in the primary site after treatment.
Lumpectomy an operation to remove a breast lump with a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue.
Lymph a watery liquid which drains from tissues into lymph nodes and then into the bloodstream.
Lymph nodes small oval bodies, up to 2 cm in length, situated in groups along the lymph draining vessels. They are packed with
Lymphocytes, and produce antibodies to fight infection.
Lymph node negative signifies that breast cancer has not spread to local lymph nodes.
Lymph node positive a breast cancer that has spread to local lymph nodes.
Lymphatic system the system of lymphatic drainage vessels and lymph nodes which are found in the groin, armpit, neck, abdomen and chest.
Lymphoedema swelling of the tissues caused by poor lymphatic drainage.
Malignant describes a tumour that is cancerous.
Mammogram literally ‘a picture of the breast’ – a ‘soft’ X-ray of the breast used to detect dense areas of tissue which may be tumours.
Manual lymph drainage massage specifically to aid the body disperse lymphoedema.
Mastectomy surgical removal of the breast.
Medical oncologist a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with drugs or hormones.
Metastasis the spread or transfer of cancer from the original site to another place in the body where the disease process starts up. It usually occurs through the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
Cancers at a new site are metastases.
Metastatic breast cancer that has spread from the breast to sites elsewhere in the body, such as the bone or liver.
MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging) a method of body scanning which shows details of soft tissues that other scanning methods do not.
Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) the group of medical staff working on a case: in breast cancer, this will include the surgeon, oncologist, radiologist, pathologist, breast care nurse and others.
Neo-adjuvant therapy the use of drug therapies (chemotherapy or hormone therapy) before surgery.
Oesophagus the muscular tube which takes food from the throat to the stomach, passing through the diaphragm.
Oestrogen a steroid sex hormone secreted mainly by the ovaries, also used in HRT to treat menopausal symptoms.
Oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer (oestrogen positive breast cancer) a breast cancer which grows in response to oestrogen.
Omega-3 one of three essential fatty acids, required by the body, which are taken from food.
Oncologist a cancer specialist.
Palliative treatment (palliative care) treatment that relieves symptoms but does not cure their cause.
Paraben chemical added to cosmetic products and food packaging as a preservative.
Pathologists those studying the causes of disease.
Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) a tube inserted into a vein in the arm, to supply liquid or take blood.
Physiotherapist a healthcare professional who uses physical methods to restore function to a disabled part of the body with, for example, active or passive exercise, heat treatment, massage or ultrasound.
Phyto-oestrogen a hormone-like substance found in plants which mimics the effects of human oestrogen.
Platelet a blood component which forms clots.
Primary breast cancer cancer which originates in the breast.
Progesterone hormone secreted by the ovary and the placenta, involved in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, and used in HRT.
Synthetic progesterone is called progestogen.
Progesterone receptor positive breast cancer (progesterone positive breast cancer) a breast cancer which grows in response to oestrogen.
Prognosis the likely outcome of a disease, the life expectancy.
Prosthesis a false body part; in breast cancer, a manufactured breast form designed to fit into a bra to replace either the whole breast or part of it.
radiologist a doctor specialising in medical imaging, skilled in interpreting, for example, X-ray, CT scan, MRI, PET scan films.
Radiotherapist a doctor who treats cancer by ionising radiation (also called a clinical oncologist).
Reconstruction the rebuilding of the breast after mastectomy as realistically as possible.
Red blood cells component of the blood which make it red, and which carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
Regional recurrence a cancer which comes back in the same region of the body after treatment.
Risk factors features which, in the population as a whole, are seen to affect the chances of having a disease; for example, being female is a risk factor for having breast cancer.
Screening the routine examination of numbers of apparently healthy people to identify those with a particular disease at an early stage.
Secondaries (secondary breast cancer, metastases) cancers occurring at a site remote from the original, primary site, from which it has spread.
Secondary breast cancer in the bone a breast cancer which has spread to the bone.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy a method of checking the sentinel nodes for possible cancer spread to the lymph nodes, which is an accurate way of predicting general spread to lymph nodes.
Sentinel node the lymph node presumed to be the first to which a cancer will spread.
Seroma a collection of serum that builds up in the spaces left behind after surgery.
Serum is the colourless liquid in blood.
Simulator a machine that simulates a process, as in radiotherapy treatment.
Stage the degree to which a cancer has progressed. Staging is important in indicating the best treatment and likely outcome.
Systemic involving the whole of a body system, for example, the circulation, the digestive system, the nervous system. The opposite of systemic is local.
Targeted therapy drug treatment aimed at the agents other than hormones which make cancers grow.
TP53 An inherited gene mutation, or faulty gene, which can bring an increased risk of developing breast cancer and a very rare syndrome that increases the risk of other cancers, including brain tumours and malignant melanoma.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) comprises acupuncture, Chinese herbs and Tui Na, a physical therapy.
Ultrasound scan a method of body imaging based on sound reflection. It is very safe and is used in pregnancy.
White blood cells component of the blood, part of the immune system, of which there are several types, all involved in fighting infection.
Wide local excision breast cancer surgery where up to a quarter of the breast is removed. It takes more away than does a lumpectomy, but less than mastectomy.
