Medical terms A–Z

A type of monoclonal antibody used in cancer detection or therapy.

A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer.

AAP most often abbreviates alanine aminopeptidase, a kidney tubular enzyme measured in urine, though the identical letters separately denote a well known pediatric professional organization.

A staging system for prostate cancer that uses ABCD.

This region of the body between the chest and pelvis contains most of the digestive organs along with the liver and spleen.

This adjective marks anything related to the abdomen, the body region holding most digestive organs between the chest and pelvis.

An abdominal ultrasound uses sound waves to create real time images of organs inside the abdomen for evaluation of pain or suspected disease.

An x-ray of the organs inside the abdomen.

Surgery to remove the anus, the rectum, and part of the sigmoid colon through an incision made in the abdomen.

A substance being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer and other conditions.

Clusters of abnormal tube-like glands in the lining of the colon and rectum.

A drug used to treat breast cancer that has spread or that has come back within 6 months after chemotherapy.

A substance being studied in the treatment of prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Ablation destroys or removes targeted tissue or its function through methods such as heat, cold, or radiofrequency energy rather than conventional excision.

Something labeled abnormal simply differs from what is typically expected, a description that on its own does not indicate a specific cause.

A system used to group human blood into different types, based on the presence or absence of certain markers on the surface of red blood cells.

Abraxane is a brand name chemotherapy drug that delivers paclitaxel bound to albumin nanoparticles to treat several types of cancer.

This pocket of pus forms when the body walls off an infection, producing a swollen, tender area of tissue.

A measure of the risk of a certain event happening.

Absorption is the movement of digested nutrients, or a medication, from the digestive tract or another site into the bloodstream for use by the body.