Go back to the index of this complete glossary to find the definition of all medical terms for cancers, treatments and health.
Cancer Glossary - A
- Abdomen : The part of the body that contains the stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, appendix, gallbladder, and bladder.
- Abscess : Infection which has formed a pocket of pus.
- Acoustic : Related to sound or hearing
- Adenocarcinoma : Cancer arising in gland forming tissue. An example is breast cancer. Father's metastatic liver cancer was defined being an adenocarcinoma
- Adjuvant therapy : Treatment given in addition to the primary treatment.
- Adrenal gland : Small gland found above each kidney which secretes cortisone, adrenaline, aldosterone, and many other important hormones.
- Alopecia : Hair loss
- Amenorrhea : Absence or stoppage of menstrual period
- Anaplastic : A term used to describe cancer cells that divide rapidly and bear little or no resemblance to normal cells
- Anastomosis : A procedure to connect healthy sections of the colon or rectum after the cancerous portion has been surgically removed.
- Androgen : A hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of mail sex characteristics.
- Anemia : A condition caused by a decrease in the number of circulating red blood cells. This decrease can be a side effect of chemotherapy which depresses the bone marrow.
- Anesthesia : Loss of feeling resulting from the administration of drugs or gases.
- Aneuploid : Abnormal amount of DNA in a cell
- Anorexia : A lack of appetite - no desire for food.
- Antibiotics : Chemicals which treat infections by stopping the growth of small disease-causing organisms.
- Anticoagulant : A drug that reduces the blood’s ability to clot; Heparin is an example.
- Angiogram : An x-ray of blood vessels. A dye is injected into an artery to outline the blood vessels on the x-ray picture. Also called an Arteriogram.
- Antibody : A protein produced by a plasma cell in the lymphatic system or bone marrow. An antibody binds to the specific antigen that has
stimulated the immune system. Once bound, the antigen can be destroyed by other cells of the immune system.
- Antigen : A substance, foreign to the body, that stimulates the production of antibodies by the immune system. Antigens include foreign proteins,
bacteria, viruses, pollen and other materials.
- Anticonvulsant : Medicine to stop, prevent, or control seizures (convulsions).
- Anti-emetic : A medicine to prevent or relieve nausea or vomiting.
- Anus : The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.
- Areolo : The area of dark-colored skin that surrounds the nipple.
- Arteriogram : An x-ray of blood vessels. A dye is injected into an artery to outline the blood vessels on the x-ray picture. Also called an Angiogram.
- Ascites : Abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen.
- Astrocytoma : A type of brain tumor
- Ataxic : Awkward, uncoordinated walking.
- Aspiration : Removal of fluid from a lump, often a cyst, with a needle.
- Autologous : From the same person. An autologous blood transfusion is blood removed and then transfused back to the same person at a later date.
- Atypical cell : Mild to moderately abnormal cell.
- Atypical hyperplasia : A benign condition in which tissue has certain abnormal features. This condition increases the risk of cancer.
- Axilla : The underarm.
- Axillary lymph node dissection : Surgical removal of lymph nodes found in the armpit region.