Go back to the index of this complete glossary to find the definition of all medical terms for cancers, treatments and health.
Cancer Glossary - E
- Edema : Swelling caused by a collection of fluid in the soft tissues.
- Embolus : Plug or clot of tumor cells within a blood vessel.
- Emesis : vomit
- Encapsulated : Confined to a specific area; the tumor
remains in a compact form.
- Endocrinologist : A doctor that specializes in diagnosing
and treating hormone disorders.
- Endometiosis : A benign condition in which tissue that
looks like endometrial tissue grows in abnormal places in the abdomen.
- Endometrium : The inner layer of the uterus.
- Endoscopy : A procedure in which the doctor looks inside the
body through a lighted tube called an endoscope.
- Engorgement : Swelling with fluid.
- Enterostomal therapist : A health care specialist trained
to help patients care for and adjust to their colostomy.
- Enzymes : Proteins that make certain chemical reactions occur in
the body. Digestive enzymes, including those produced by the pancreas, help
the body break down food.
- Ependymoma : A type of brain tumor.
- ERCP : A procedure to x-ray the common bile duct. Also called endoscopic retrograde
cholangio-pancreatography .
- Epithelial carcinoma : Cancer that begins in
the cells that line an organ.
- Esophagus (esophageal) : Organ carrying food from the mouth and the stomach.
- Estrogen : A female hormone.
- Ewings sarcoma : a bone cancer that forms in the middle
(shaft) of large bones. Most often affects the hipbones and the bones of the
upper arm and thigh.
- Excema : Skin irritation characterized by redness and open weeping.