Medical terms A–Z

A substance being studied in the treatment of certain types of cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate.

A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer.

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

The clear fluid that travels through the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infections and other diseases.

An everyday name that survives despite being anatomically wrong, since the structure it describes filters rather than secretes.

A rounded mass of lymphatic tissue that is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue.

Removing a block of nodes tells surgeons how far a cancer has traveled, at the cost of the drainage those nodes provided.

The flow of lymph from an area of tissue into a particular lymph node.

The use of dyes and radioactive substances to identify lymph nodes that may contain tumor cells.

The plumbing that fails in lymphedema and the route many cancers travel out of an organ, known equally as a lymphatic vessel.

Taking out lymph nodes to learn whether cancer has reached them, an operation now used far more sparingly than it once was.

Lymphadenopathy is enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, a common finding that can reflect infection, inflammation, or, less often, malignancy.

An x-ray of the lymphatic system.

An x-ray study of the lymphatic system.

A type of cancer that begins in the cells that line lymph vessels.

A group of lymph nodes that receives and filters lymph that flows from a certain area of the body.

Clear in an arm, milky after a fatty meal: how it looks depends entirely on which tissue it has just drained.

The use of dyes and radioactive substances to identify lymph nodes that may contain tumor cells.

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and organs that drains excess fluid from tissue and supports immune defense.

Half of the circulation runs one way only: these tubes gather the fluid that leaks out of capillaries and hand it back to the blood.

A condition in which extra lymph fluid builds up in tissues and causes swelling.

One word covering two quite different cells: an immature precursor in the marrow, and a mature cell swollen by activation.

A word about appearance under the microscope that decides which disease a cancer of lymphocytes is, and how fast it must be treated.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which too many lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the lymph nodes and the thymus gland.

These are the cells that remember, which is why a second encounter with the same organism is dealt with far faster than the first.

Lymphocytic describes anything relating to lymphocytes, the white blood cells central to the body's immune response.

One name covers two diseases that differ in nearly everything except the cell they come from: pace, age and urgency.

A condition in which there is a lower-than-normal number of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the blood.

A condition in which there is a lower-than-normal number of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the blood.

A type of cancer that begins in the tissues covering the nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose).

An x-ray study of lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels made visible by the injection of a special dye.

The adjective tying together lymphocytes, the organs they live in, and the half of blood production that makes them.

A white blood cell that is stimulated in a laboratory to kill tumor cells.

Dozens of separate diseases sit under this one word, some watched for years without treatment and others needing care within days.

Destructive growth of lymph cells, usually involving the lungs, skin, kidneys, and central nervous system.

A serious problem that may occur in lymphoma.

A serious problem that may occur in lymphoma.

A condition in which there is a lower-than-normal number of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the blood.

One of a group of related proteins made by leukocytes (white blood cells) and other cells in the body.

A broad label covering uncontrolled growth of immune cells, from harmless reactive swelling through to outright lymphoma.

An obsolete term for a malignant tumor of lymphatic tissue.

A scan that follows a trace of radioactive material through lymph channels to map where fluid from a given area drains.

A condition in which tissue or a limb becomes very swollen and thick, and changes color.

Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition caused by a DNA repair gene mutation that raises lifetime risk of colorectal and other cancers.

In biology, lysis refers to the breakdown of a cell caused by damage to its plasma (outer) membrane.

The cell's acid-filled recycling compartment, walled off because the enzymes inside would digest the cell that built them.

Having to do with lysis.

An area where bone has been dissolved away, showing on an x-ray as a dark hole in an otherwise solid structure.

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.