Go back to the index of this complete glossary to find the definition of all medical terms for cancers, treatments and health.
Cancer Glossary - N
- Nadir : Period of time following chemotherapy treatment when blood counts generally
are at their lowest levels and patients are at greatest risk of developing infection
and other blood-related side effects.
- Nausea : The feeling that one might vomit. This was one
of the symptoms of father's metastatic
liver cancer.
- Necrosis : Dead tissue.
- Nephro-tomography : Diagnostic procedure using x-rays
in which a three-dimensional view of the kidney can be constructed.
- Neutropenia : Less than the normal number of neutrophils, a type of white blood
cell, which help to defend against bacterial infections.
- Nodular : Forming little nodules.
- Nonseminoma : A classification of testicular cancers that
arise in specialized sex cells called germ cells. Nonseminomas include embryonal
carcinoma, teratoma, chorio-carcinoma, and yolk sac tumor.
- Nuclear scans : Pictures of the inside of the body taken after slightly radioactive
material is swallowed or injected into the bloodstream.
- Neurologist : Doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and
treatment of disorders of the nervous system.
- Neuroma : A tumor that arises in nerve cells.
- Neurosurgeon : Doctor who specializes in surgery on the brain
and other parts of the nervous system.
- Nitrosoureas : Group of anticancer drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Carmustine (BCNU) and lomustine (CCNU) are nitrosoureas.