Medical terms A–Z

The gap between too little and too much is narrow, and where food was grown largely decides which side people land on.

Self-esteem reflects a person's overall sense of self-worth, and healthcare providers may address it as part of emotional and psychological wellbeing.

A depression of the bone at the base of the skull where the pituitary gland is located.

A substance that has been studied in the treatment of cancer.

The fluid that is released through the penis during orgasm.

Fluid from the prostate and other sex glands that helps transport sperm out of the man's body during orgasm.

A gland that helps produce semen.

The removal of fluid or tissue with a needle from the seminal vesicles for examination under a microscope.

The slower moving of the two main testicular germ cell tumors, and one of the most curable cancers known.

In botany, a plant that gets food from a host but also contains chlorophyll and is capable of photosynthesis.

An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of drugs called alkylating agents.

A virus being studied in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors and other types of cancer.

The root of an herb called Polygala senega.

A thick, scaly patch of skin that may become cancer.

A highly sensitive test produces few false negatives, but sensitivity alone does not describe how often a positive result is truly accurate.

Every sensor answers exactly one question, so a reading that looks wrong is as likely to reflect the sensor as the patient.

A drug used to relieve pain by blocking signals at nerve endings.

Sensory nerves and pathways carry information about touch, pain, temperature, and position from the body to the brain for processing.

The node a surgeon samples instead of clearing a whole basin, chosen not for being nearest but for being first in line.

Removal and examination of the sentinel node(s) (the first lymph node(s) to which cancer cells are likely to spread from a primary tumor).