Medical terms beginning with M

A single antibody churned out in bulk by one clone of cells, showing up as a narrow spike on a laboratory trace.

A substance being studied in the treatment of bacterial infections from catheters (flexible tubes used to deliver fluids into or take fluids from the body).

A monoclonal antibody that is being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer.

A shrub native to China and India.

A small deposit of calcium in the breast that cannot be felt but can be seen on a mammogram.

Half scavenger and half messenger: the cell that eats an invader also decides how loudly the rest of the immune system answers.

A condition in which there is a slow breakdown of cells in the center of the retina (the light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye).

A protein found in many types of tumors but not in most normal tissues.

Leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains supply it, and the kidneys decide how much of it stays.

A drug used to treat pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (serious complications of pregnancy).

A noninvasive imaging method that provides information about cellular activity (metabolic information).

A tiny bead made from particles of iron and carbon that can be attached to an anticancer drug.

A tree native to China.

A system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.

Treatment that is given to help keep cancer from coming back after it has disappeared following the initial therapy.

A group of symptoms such as gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea resulting from the body's inability to properly absorb nutrients.

Rare enough to be overlooked, which is the main reason it tends to be found later than the same disease in women.

Where a cancer began, not where it is found, is what names it, and the tissue of origin sets everything that follows.

Behavior rather than size earns the label, so a tiny growth can be malignant while a large one is entirely benign.

A condition in which fluid containing cancer cells collects in the abdomen.

A rare, fast-growing tumor of the nervous system or soft tissue that occurs in children and young adults.

A soft tissue sarcoma that usually occurs in the limbs, most commonly the legs, and may also occur in the abdomen.

A soft tissue sarcoma that usually occurs in the limbs, most commonly the legs, and may also occur in the abdomen.

A soft tissue tumor that begins in a tendon (tough, fibrous, cord-like tissue that connects muscle to bone or to another structure).

A rare, fast-growing tumor that forms in one of the inner layers of the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

A rare type of cancer in which malignant cells are found in the lining of the chest or abdomen.

A type of soft tissue sarcoma that develops in cells that form a protective sheath (covering) around peripheral nerves, which are nerves that are outside of the central nervous system (brain and…

Malignant pleural effusion is fluid buildup around the lung caused by cancer cells within the pleural space, most often from lung or breast cancer.

Describes a condition caused by not getting enough calories or the right amount of key nutrients needed for health.

Malnutrition is a state of inadequate nutrition, most often from insufficient calories or nutrients, that can result from diet, illness, or impaired absorption.

A byproduct of lipid (fat) metabolism in the body.

A cancer that can sometimes be driven into retreat by treating the infection that provoked it rather than by chemotherapy.

A protein that helps control several cell functions, including cell division and survival, and binds to rapamycin and other drugs.

Mammary structures and glands are those of the breast, most notably the tissue responsible for producing milk during lactation.

A common condition marked by benign (not cancer) changes in breast tissue.

Not simply another word for the breast: the glandular working part inside it, and a distant relative of the sweat gland.

Compression is the uncomfortable part and also the useful part, since spreading the tissue thin is what makes small findings visible at a lower dose.

No screening test is purely beneficial, and mammography programs are judged on the balance between cancers found early and abnormalities that never needed finding.

A system used to deliver internal radiation therapy to breast cancer patients after surgery to remove their cancer.

Mantle cell lymphoma is a B-cell lymphoma named for the lymph node zone it arises from, generally considered an aggressive subtype.

The area of the neck, chest, and lymph nodes in the armpit that are exposed to radiation.

Long duration is the whole point of this anesthetic, and the same property explains why it is handled with more caution than its relatives.

Ink brushed onto the specimen is what keeps the true cut surface identifiable once the tissue has been sliced.

An indolent (slow-growing) type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that begins forming in certain areas (the marginal zones) of lymph tissue.

Marginal zone lymphoma is a slow growing B-cell blood cancer arising in lymph tissue, occurring in several distinct anatomical forms.

An antiviral taken by mouth that leaves the marrow and the kidney alone, kept for infections the older drugs no longer hold down.

Markers are measurable substances or traits that clinicians track to gauge whether a disease is present, progressing, or responding to treatment.

A drug put on the skin to treat growths caused by sun exposure.

A mass is simply a lump identified in the body, a descriptive finding rather than a diagnosis, since it may prove benign, malignant, or unrelated to cancer entirely.

Pressure, pace and depth vary widely between styles, so two sessions given the same name can feel entirely different.

Mast cells are immune cells stationed throughout skin and mucosal tissue that release histamine and drive allergic and inflammatory reactions.

Overwhelmingly a diagnosis in dogs; the human counterpart is usually a harmless skin lesion of infancy rather than a cancer.

Removing more tissue does not by itself buy more survival, which is why breast-conserving surgery with radiation matches mastectomy for many early cancers.

Mastitis is breast tissue inflammation most common during breastfeeding, though its symptoms can occasionally overlap with those of a rare inflammatory breast cancer.

Rubbing one makes it swell, redden and itch within minutes, a response distinctive enough to identify the lesion without a biopsy.

A finding, condition, or trait labeled maternal originates from or relates to the mother, as distinguished from paternal or fetal factors.

Because these enzymes can also weaken normal tissue architecture, their activity is implicated in disease processes well beyond their role in ordinary repair.

One of a group of aggressive (fast-growing) non-Hodgkin lymphomas that begin in mature T lymphocytes (T cells that have matured in the thymus gland and gone to other lymphatic sites in the body…

A type of benign (not cancer) germ cell tumor (type of tumor that begins in the cells that give rise to sperm or eggs) that often contains several different types of tissue such as hair, muscle, and…

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

The maxillary sinus is the largest paranasal sinus, an air filled space within the cheekbone that drains into the nasal cavity.

A test that measures the strength of the muscles used in breathing.

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used with other types of therapy to treat colorectal cancer.

MBL is a condition marked by an elevated number of identical B cells in the blood that occasionally precedes a related blood cancer.

A protein found in skin and eye cells that make melanin (a pigment that gives color to the skin and helps protect it from damage by ultraviolet light).

A drug that belongs to a family of drugs called ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors.

A monoclonal antibody being studied in the treatment of certain types of cancer.

A monoclonal antibody that is being studied in the treatment of some lymphomas.

The familiar average, dependable when values cluster together and easily dragged off course when a few sit far out.

The average time that patients in a clinical study remained alive.

The virus that causes measles (a highly contagious disease marked by fever, cough, and raised red spots on the skin).

A tumor that can be accurately measured in size.

A monoclonal antibody that is being studied in the treatment of certain lymphoproliferative disorders and psoriasis.

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

A lymph node located above the collar bone and between the center of the body and a line drawn through the nipple to the shoulder.

In statistics, the median is the middle value in an ordered data set, a measure clinicians often favor over the average when data are skewed.

The time from either diagnosis or treatment at which half of the patients with a given disease are found to be, or expected to be, still alive.

A fibrous cord that connects the urinary bladder to the umbilicus (navel).

The thin membrane that lines the chest cavity in the area between the lungs.

A thin, tube-like instrument used to examine the tissues and lymph nodes in the area between the lungs.

A short operation through a small cut above the breastbone, giving direct access to the lymph nodes lying around the windpipe.

Nothing in this compartment has room to expand, so a mass here tends to declare itself by pressing on whatever lies beside it.

Fifty separate programs under one name, which is why Medicaid enrollment alone says little about what a given person is covered for.

Refers to the use of drugs to suppress the function of the ovaries or testicles.

Regulatory oversight for medical devices generally scales with risk, so a simple bandage faces far less scrutiny than an implanted pacemaker.

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy.

Age is the usual route in, but disability, kidney failure and ALS also qualify, and the parts cover different kinds of care.

From a swallowed tablet to a skin patch, the form is chosen to suit how the substance must travel to reach its target.

A field and a bottle share one word, and the branches of the field are themselves called medicine, as in internal or nuclear medicine.

A drug used to prevent endometrial cancer.

A rare type of breast cancer that often can be treated successfully.

The one thyroid cancer arising from a different cell type entirely, and the one most likely to run in families.

The most common cancerous brain tumor of childhood, growing where balance and coordination are controlled.

A machine that uses electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles.

Megestrol is a synthetic progestin used to treat certain hormone sensitive cancers and to help stimulate appetite in people with significant weight loss.

The division that halves the chromosome count and shuffles the deck, so no two eggs or sperm carry the same combination.

A protein found on normal melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin) in the skin and in the retina.

Melanin is the pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eye color that also helps absorb and limit damage from ultraviolet light.

A protein found in skin and eye cells that make melanin (a pigment that gives color to the skin and helps protect it from damage by ultraviolet light).

A cell in the skin and eyes that produces and contains the pigment called melanin.