Medical terms A–Z

A principal metabolite of hexamethylmelamine with antineoplastic activity.

A synthetic derivative of amidine with antiprotozoal and antifungal activities.

A drug used to treat infections caused by certain microorganisms.

The calcium salt of pentetic acid, a synthetic chelating agent related to the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).

An oral drug for long-term bladder pain, thought to patch the protective coating that keeps urine off the bladder wall.

The sodium salt of a semisynthetic heparin-like glucosaminoglycan.

A purine nucleotide analogue antibiotic isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces antibioticus.

Pentoxifylline is an oral medication that improves blood flow through narrowed vessels, used mainly to ease leg pain caused by poor circulation during walking.

Pepcid is the brand name for famotidine, a medication that reduces stomach acid production to treat heartburn and ulcers.

A pharmacy shelf name for famotidine at lower strength, sitting between antacids that work in minutes and drugs that shut acid down hard.

A semisynthetic analog of Bleomycin, a mixture of several basic glycopeptide antineoplastic antibiotics isolated from the fungus Streptomyces verticillus.

A break in the lining of the lower part of the esophagus, the stomach, or the upper part of the small intestine.

Where a peptide stops and a protein starts is a matter of convention, not chemistry: the bond and the building blocks are identical.

A piece of a protein found only on melanoma (a type of skin cancer) cells.

Bismuth subsalicylate is marketed as Pepto-Bismol, an over the counter medication used to relieve upset stomach, nausea, and diarrhea.

Percutaneous describes a procedure or medication that is delivered through the skin rather than by an open surgical incision.

A tube inserted through the wall of the abdomen directly into the stomach.

An injection of ethanol (alcohol) through the skin directly into a tumor to kill cancer cells.

A procedure to x-ray the hepatic and common bile ducts.

(Other name for: penicillamine)

A synthetic radiopaque liquid form of perfluorooctyl bromide.

An injectable suspension of liposome-encapsuled microspheres containing the fluorocarbon gas perflutren for contrast enhancement in ultrasound procedures.

A sterile non-pyrogenic suspension of microspheres of human serum albumin with the stable, high-molecular-weight fluorocarbon gas perflutren, used as a contrast enhancement agent for ultrasound…

A measure of how well a patient is able to perform ordinary tasks and carry out daily activities.

The active metabolite of the nitrogen mustard cyclophosphamide with potent antineoplastic and immunosuppressive properties.

Perfusion is the flow of blood through an organ's vessels delivering oxygen and nutrients to its tissue, a concept central to circulation throughout the body.

A special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that uses an injected dye in order to see blood flow through tissues.

(Other name for: perfosfamide)

An allergy tablet kept in use largely for its side effects, from appetite gain to reversing a dangerous serotonin excess.

A cancer that forms near the ampulla of Vater (an enlargement of the ducts from the liver and pancreas where they join and enter the small intestine).

A pericardial effusion is excess fluid within the sac around the heart, which can impair the heart's ability to fill and pump normally.

An orally active alkyl-phosphocholine compound with potential antineoplastic activity.

A naturally occurring monoterpene related to limonene with antineoplastic activity.

The tert-butylamine salt of perindopril, the ethyl ester of a non-sulfhydryl angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor with antihypertensive activity.

An opening made surgically to allow the colon to exit the body through the perineum (the area of the body between the anus and the vulva in females, and between the anus and the scrotum in males).

Surgery to remove the prostate through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus.

Three systems empty through one small patch of the body, which is why it turns up in obstetric, urinary and bowel examinations alike.

Perineural describes a location or process occurring around a nerve, most often used to describe the spread of cancer cells along nerve pathways.

A chronic condition that affects neutrophils (a type of white blood cell).

A single word covering the whole surgical episode, from the decision to operate through to recovery at home.

The blood a needle can reach, defined by contrast with the marrow where its cells were made rather than by where it flows.

This test spreads a thin layer of blood on a slide so a technologist can examine the shape and appearance of individual blood cells directly.

A nerve problem that causes pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in different parts of the body.

A type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue.

An immature cell found circulating in the bloodstream.

A method of replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by cancer treatment.

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

A small, flexible tube used to deliver fluids into the body.

The gut runs a nervous system of its own, so the waves carry on even when signals from the brain are absent.

Having to do with the parietal peritoneum (the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and pelvic cavity) and visceral peritoneum (the tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdomen, including…

Peritoneal cancer develops in the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity, and more often reflects cancer that has spread there from another organ.

The space within the abdomen that contains the intestines, the stomach, and the liver.

A thin film of lubricant between the sheets lining the abdomen, normally so scant that finding it on a scan is itself a finding.

A method of delivering fluids and drugs directly into the abdominal cavity through a thin tube.

A method of delivering fluids and drugs directly to tumors in the peritoneal cavity.

A single continuous sheet folded so intricately that it both lines the abdomen and wraps the organs inside it.

Contamination of a normally sterile space, across a membrane broad enough that bacteria crossing it pass quickly into the bloodstream.

(Other name for: fluphenazine hydrochloride)

A type of anemia (low red blood cell count) caused by the body's inability to absorb vitamin B12.

(Other name for: dipyridamole)

A perturbation is a disruption to a normally stable system, whether a physiologic process, a biological pathway, or a measurement being taken.

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection best known for causing severe, prolonged coughing fits, especially dangerous in young infants.

Pertuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks HER2 receptor pairing, used together with other therapies to treat HER2 positive breast cancer.

Grouped by what they are meant to kill rather than by what they are, which is why the class name predicts almost nothing.

A procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose…

A type of therapy that uses dogs or other pets to improve the physical and mental health of patients with certain acute or chronic diseases.

Pinpoint, unraised, round red spots under the skin caused by bleeding.

A semi-solid jelly refined from crude oil that seals water into skin without supplying any of its own.

A petrolatum-based ointment absorbed by dry and moist skin, petrolatum-mineral oil-lanolin-ceresin ointment is non-comedogenic, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing.

A greasy blend of mineral waxes and oils that seals water into the skin rather than adding any moisture itself.

An inherited condition pairing dark freckle-like spots on the lips with polyps throughout the gut and a raised lifetime cancer risk.

A highly selective, orally bioavailabe small-molecule inhibitor of the HER family of tyrosine kinases with potential antineoplastic activity.

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

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

No single number carries the answer here; the finding lives in the relationship between the measurements taken together.

Short-lived local messengers built from a fatty acid, and the molecules that ordinary painkillers work by shutting down.

A drug that is used to treat impotence (inability to have an erection) and is being studied in the treatment of sexual problems in men who have had surgery for prostate cancer.

An injectable formulation of the polysaccharide beta 1,3/1,6 glucan derived from the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with potential immunomodulating and antineoplastic activities.

A small-molecule 3-aminopyrazole derivative with potential antineoplastic activity.

A type of immune cell that can surround and kill microorganisms, ingest foreign material, and remove dead cells.

The process by which a phagocyte (a type of white blood cell) surrounds and destroys foreign substances (such as bacteria) and removes dead cells.

The sensation of pain or other unpleasant feelings in the place of a missing (phantom) limb.

The one clinician who sees the whole list at once, which is why duplications and interactions tend to surface at the counter.

This field tracks a drug's journey through the body over time, covering absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, and it guides how doses and schedules are chosen.

Pharmacology is the scientific study of how drugs interact with the body, covering their origin, chemistry, mechanisms of action, and effects.

A book describing chemicals, drugs, and other substances and how they are used as medicines.

Cancer that forms in tissues of the pharynx (the hollow tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose and ends at the top of the windpipe and esophagus).

The pharynx is the shared muscular passage behind the nose and mouth through which both air and food travel before separating into distinct pathways.

A process in which the liver uses one of two major enzyme pathways to change a toxic substance, such as an anticancer drug, into a less toxic substance that is easier for the body to excrete.

The first time a new treatment is given to people, with safety and dose as the questions rather than whether it works.

A trial to study the safety, dosage levels, and response to a new treatment.

A process in which the liver uses one of two major enzyme pathways to change a toxic substance, such as an anticancer drug, into a less toxic substance that is easier for the body to excrete.

A study to test whether a new treatment has an anticancer effect (for example, whether it shrinks a tumor or improves blood test results) and whether it works against a certain type of cancer.

A trial to study response to a new treatment and the effectiveness of the treatment compared with the standard treatment regimen.

A study to compare the results of people taking a new treatment with the results of people taking the standard treatment (for example, which group has better survival rates or fewer side effects).

After a treatment has been approved and is being marketed, it is studied in a phase IV trial to evaluate side effects that were not apparent in the phase III trial.

Phenergan is the brand name for promethazine, an antihistamine also used to control nausea, vomiting, and to promote sedation.

A substance being studied in the prevention of cancer.

One of the oldest seizure medicines still in regular use, kept for its long action and low cost rather than its comfort.

Phenol is a caustic chemical compound used in industry and, in dilute form, in certain antiseptic and topical medical preparations.