The Villages - October 2019 - 19

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TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Whenever you or a loved one are first diagnosed with breast cancer, you likely will receive a lot
of information and medical terms in a short amount of time. Always ask your doctor to explain
or answer any questions you may have, but here are some of the common terms you may hear or read.
ADJUVANT THERAPY: Therapy or care that is given in
addition to primary care to maximize its effectiveness.
BIOMARKER: A biological molecule in the body -
usually in blood, bodily fluids or tissue - that doctors
can measure to gauge how a person is responding to
treatment or if a cancer has spread.
BIOPSY: A small sample of tissue or cells that doctors or
researchers can look at under a microscope.
CHEMOTHERAPY: Cancer treatment using strong
medicine. Doctors prescribe a drug or combination of
drugs to fight and control cancer, or perhaps to provide
palliative care, which means helping a patient feel better
by limiting the symptoms of cancer.
CLINICAL TRIAL: Used not just for cancer research but
for all sorts of medical advancements, a clinical trial
studies how individuals or groups of individuals react to
a certain developing drug or treatment.
HORMONE THERAPY: Certain types of cancers - breast
and prostate being the most common - need specific
types of hormones to grow. Hormone therapy uses
medication that either blocks the body from producing
those hormones or changes how they behave in the body.
TUMOR: A mass of tissue formed from abnormal cells.
Tumors are sometimes called a neoplasm. Tumors also
are not necessarily cancerous.

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MALIGNANT/BENIGN: In reference to tumors,
a malignant tumor is cancerous; a benign
tumor is not.
MASTECTOMY: Removal of the entire breast through
surgery. A lumpectomy removes the cancerous area
of the breast while leaving as much normal tissue as
possible. Some women at a high risk of recurrence choose
to have both breasts removed as a precaution, called a
double mastectomy.
METASTASIZE: When cancerous cells spread to other,
distant parts of the body beyond the original tumor.

ONCOLOGY: The branch of medicine that studies
all aspects of cancer - prevention, diagnosis and
treatment. An oncologist is a person who specializes
in this field.
PALLIATIVE THERAPY: Treatment that focuses on
improving a patient's quality of life through pain
relief and symptom management.
RADIATION THERAPY: Uses high-energy particles
or waves such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron
beams or protons to destroy cancer cells or keep
them from growing. Usually done with a machine,
but some forms of radioactive treatment implant
a radioactive source in the patient's body near the
cancerous cells.
REMISSION: Signs and symptoms of cancer have
decreased. Does not necessarily mean the cancer is
cured or that it will not recur, but it is diminishing.
STAGING: The most common stages of cancer
range from zero to four, with four being the highest.
Zero means abnormal cells are present but they have
not spread to nearby tissue and are not considered
cancer yet. One through three means cancer is
present, with higher numbers representing a larger
tumor. Four means cancer has spread to distant
parts of the body from where the original tumor
was discovered. Doctors also may use other terms to
describe cancer stages:

STAGE IN SITU: Abnormal cells are present but

have not spread to surrounding tissue.

STAGE EARLY STAGE: The first cancer cells are

detected in an area.

STAGE LOCALIZED: Cancer is present, but only

in the area it was original discovered.

STAGE REGIONAL: Cancer has spread to

nearby organs or lymph nodes.

STAGE DISTANT: Cancer has spread to distant

parts of the body.

MAGAZINE

The Villages - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - October 2019