Medical terms beginning with G

Worry that will not switch off is the core of it, and the body keeps score through tension, tiredness and broken sleep.

Because gadolinium can pose risks for people with significantly reduced kidney function, its use during imaging is weighed carefully in that group.

A substance that is being studied in the treatment of cancer.

It is a reservoir rather than a producer, which is why the body manages without it once it has been removed.

Because early gallbladder cancer rarely causes noticeable symptoms, it is often identified only after the disease has already reached an advanced stage.

A procedure to detect areas of the body where cells are dividing rapidly.

Solid material that forms in the gallbladder or common bile duct.

A change in the heat and electricity passed through the skin by nerves and sweat.

A type of radiation therapy that uses gamma radiation.

A treatment using gamma rays, a type of high-energy radiation that can be tightly focused on small tumors or other lesions in the head or neck, so very little normal tissue receives radiation.

Gamma rays are high energy electromagnetic radiation released from atomic nuclei, differing from x-rays mainly in their point of origin.

Ganglion describes both a cluster of nerve cell bodies outside the brain and spinal cord and an unrelated fluid filled cyst near a joint.

A sugar-tipped fat in the outer face of cell membranes, densest in the brain, working as an identity tag and a docking point.

A plant whose roots are used as a sedative and to treat certain medical conditions.

A plant whose roots are used as a sedative and to treat certain medical conditions.

Gastrectomy removes all or part of the stomach, most often to treat stomach cancer or certain severe stomach conditions.

Gastric structures and conditions involve the stomach, including its lining, secretions, and the disorders that can affect its function.

Acid that is released into the stomach from glands in the stomach wall.

A test used to measure the amount of gastric acid made by the stomach.

A condition in which the stomach muscles shrink and become weak.

Gastric cancer arises in the stomach lining, often linked to chronic infection with a common stomach bacterium, and frequently causes only vague early symptoms.

A tube that is inserted through the nose, down the throat and esophagus, and into the stomach.

The backward flow of stomach acid contents into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).

A hormone released from special cells in the lining of the stomach after eating.

A tumor that causes overproduction of gastric acid.

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining that can cause upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, or, in some cases, no symptoms at all.

Inflammation of the lining of the stomach and the intestines.

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the digestive system.

A short transition zone rather than a clean border, and the site of both the commonest digestive complaint and a fast rising cancer.

The backward flow of stomach acid contents into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).

Roots pointing at stomach and intestine, yet the label in practice stretches from mouth to anus and turns up throughout medical records.

An indolent (slow-growing) cancer that forms in cells that make hormones in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract (the stomach and intestines).

A type of tumor that usually begins in cells in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract.

Spanning the stomach through the small and large intestines, this continuous passage handles digestion, nutrient absorption, and waste formation.

A thin, tube-like instrument used to examine the inside of the stomach.

Examination of the inside of the stomach using a gastroscope passed through the mouth and esophagus.

A feeding route running straight through the abdominal wall, used when swallowing will be unsafe for a long time.

Three letters standing for a diagnosis that now depends as much on molecular testing as on what the tumor looks like.

A substance used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help make clear pictures of the brain, spine, heart, soft tissue of joints, and inside bones.

A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer.

A device that uses a gel to carry an electric current from the skin to a measuring instrument.

An antineoplastic antibiotic drug that belongs to the family of drugs called ansamycins.

A drug that may inhibit the growth of malignant tumors.

A chemotherapy combination used to treat malignant mesothelioma, advanced non-small cell lung cancer, advanced bladder cancer, advanced cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, and epithelial ovarian…

A chemotherapy combination used to treat malignant mesothelioma, advanced non-small cell lung cancer, advanced bladder cancer, advanced cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, and epithelial ovarian…

A monoclonal antibody combined with a toxic substance that is used to treat certain types of acute myeloid leukemia in older patients and is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

Few traits trace back to a single gene, which is why most inherited risk is spread thinly across a great many of them.

An increase in the number of copies of a gene.

The loss of all or a part of a gene.

Gene expression is the multistep process converting a gene's DNA sequence into RNA and, often, a functional protein, and its level can be measured directly.

Information about all messenger RNAs that are made in various cell types.

Instead of managing the effects of a faulty gene for a lifetime, the aim is to change the instruction the cell is reading.

The insertion of genetic material into a cell.

Cells that have been altered to contain different genetic material than they originally contained.

A temporary loss of feeling and a complete loss of awareness that feels like a very deep sleep.

Brand names multiply and change with whoever is selling the product, while the official name stays fixed to the ingredient itself.

Genetic and hereditary are not synonyms, since every cancer is genetic in origin while only a small share of cancers are inherited.

The study of a sample of DNA to look for mutations (changes) that may increase risk of disease or affect the way a person responds to treatment.

A communication process between a specially trained health professional and a person concerned about the genetic risk of disease.

An inherited disorder in which there is a lower-than-normal number of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that is important in fighting infections).

A signpost on a chromosome, useful because its position is known, whether or not it does anything at all.

An inherited increase in the risk of developing a disease.

Information about specific genes, including variations and gene expression, in an individual or in a certain type of tissue.

An inherited increase in the risk of developing a disease.

Genetic testing analyzes DNA to diagnose an inherited condition, determine carrier status, or clarify an inherited risk of developing a disease.

Most common illnesses do not follow the tidy patterns Mendel described, arising instead from many small genetic contributions acting alongside environment.

Refers to the genitalia (external and internal sex organs and glands).

A raised growth on the surface of the genitals caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Two jobs that have little in common are grouped as one system because the organs doing them grow from the same embryonic tissue.

A genome is the full set of DNA instructions an organism carries, including genes and the sequences that regulate them.

A statistical trawl across all the chromosomes at once, finding where common variation tracks with a disease without being told where to look.

Information about all the genes in an organism, including variations, gene expression, and the way those genes interact with each other and with the environment.

This scientific field studies an organism's entire genetic material as a system, including how genes are organized, regulated, and interact with one another.

The plant behind geranium oil is not a true geranium at all, a naming muddle that has followed it for centuries.

A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause infection and disease.

A reproductive cell of the body.

Tumors of the cells that make eggs and sperm, which is why they appear in the chest and brain as well as the gonads.

A plant whose daisy-like flowers are used in tea to calm and relax, improve sleep, and help stomach problems.

The German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices Commission E.

A laboratory condition rather than a hospital one: free not merely of germs that cause disease but of every detectable microbe.

Any substance or process that kills germs (bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause infection and disease).

The DNA in germ cells (egg and sperm cells that join to form an embryo).

A gene change in a body's reproductive cell (egg or sperm) that becomes incorporated into the DNA of every cell in the body of the offspring.

A fibrous envelope of tissue that surrounds the kidney.

A fibrous envelope of tissue that surrounds the kidney.

An intensive juice, enema and supplement regimen promoted as a cancer cure for most of a century, never tested in a controlled trial.

Gestational trophoblastic disease is a group of rare tumors that develop from placental tissue after conception, ranging from benign to cancerous.

Any of a group of tumors that develops from trophoblastic cells (cells that help an embryo attach to the uterus and help form the placenta) after fertilization of an egg by a sperm.

A drug used to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland.

GI is the abbreviation for gastrointestinal, referring to the stomach, intestines, and the rest of the digestive tract.

An antitumor drug that belongs to the family of drugs called topoisomerase inhibitors.

A rare type of soft tissue tumor marked by painless nodules in the dermis (the inner layer of the two main layers of tissue that make up the skin) and subcutaneous (beneath the skin) tissue.

Gigantism is excessive growth in children caused by too much growth hormone occurring before the bones finish lengthening.

Ginger is a flavorful root long used in cooking and traditional preparations intended to ease nausea and digestive discomfort.

The tissue of the upper and lower jaws that surrounds the base of the teeth.

A leaf extract from an ancient tree, sold widely for memory, and repeatedly found no better than placebo in large trials.

Ginkgo biloba is widely sold as a supplement, but claims about its effects on memory are not supported by strong, consistent evidence.

Ginseng is a root used in traditional and complementary medicine, commonly taken as a supplement for energy and general vitality.

GIST is a tumor arising from the gastrointestinal tract's specialized pacemaker cells, most often driven by a specific gene mutation and treated with targeted drugs.

A gland is an organ built to produce and release substances such as hormones, sweat, or digestive fluid for use elsewhere in the body.