Medical terms A–Z

Having to do with the pons (part of the central nervous system, located at the base of the brain, between the medulla oblongata and the midbrain).

A study of a group of individuals taken from the general population who share a common characteristic, such as age, sex, or health condition.

Porcine describes anything derived from or related to pigs, a term used in medicine for certain tissue-based products and research models.

The sodium salt of a mixture of oligomers formed by ether and ester linkages of up to eight porphyrin units with photodynamic activity.

An N-methyl derivative of the antineoplastic antibiotic mitomycin C isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces ardus and other Streptomyces bacterial species.

A port is a small device implanted under the skin that allows repeated vein access for medication or blood draws without new needle sticks.

Because the entire device sits beneath the skin, a port-a-cath requires only a needle stick rather than a visible external tube between uses.

Portal hypertension is elevated blood pressure within the vein system draining the digestive organs into the liver, most often caused by cirrhosis.

A vein that ends in a second network of tiny vessels instead of heading back to the heart, most famously the one feeding the liver.

One of the broadest antifungal drugs available, valued for covering molds that most others in its class miss.

A lymph node in the area of the armpit (axilla) to which cancer has spread.

A test result that reveals the presence of a specific disease or condition for which the test is being done.

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…

Nothing is posterior on its own, since the word only carries meaning once a second structure is named for comparison.

Surgery to remove the lower part of the bowel, rectum, uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and vagina.

A disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the part of the urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the body) that connects to the bladder (the organ that stores urine).

Postmortem describes anything occurring or performed after death, most commonly an examination carried out to determine the cause of death.

Postoperative means occurring after a surgical operation.

Postprandial means occurring after a meal.

Treatment that is given after cancer has disappeared following the initial therapy.

Both unusually high and unusually low blood potassium levels can disrupt the heart's electrical rhythm, making this mineral closely monitored during illness.

A strong alkali used to make soap, and in the laboratory to dissolve skin so that fungus can be seen under a microscope.

In medicine, the effect of increasing the potency or effectiveness of a drug or other treatment.

An iodophor solution containing a water-soluble complex of iodine and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with broad microbicidal activity.

Authority granted on paper while a person still has capacity, so that someone can act if capacity later slips away.

A hormone that mostly tells the pancreas to stop, released once a meal is under way and rising as the body ages.

A synthetic derivative of fumagillin with antineoplastic and cytotoxic properties.

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

Its presence usually means the estrogen pathway is working, since estrogen signaling is what switches this receptor on.

Mostly read as a second opinion on estrogen receptor status, since hormone treatment targets estrogen rather than progesterone.

The absence matters mainly in combination, since what it adds depends entirely on whether the estrogen receptor is present too.

A non-toxic, small-molecule, hypoxia-activated, 3,5-dinitrobenzamide nitrogen mustard pre-prodrug with potential antitumor activity.

A deliberately broad word, used in policies and forms precisely because it covers many licensed roles without naming any of them.

A folate analogue inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) exhibiting high affinity for reduced folate carrier-1 (RFC-1) with antineoplastic and immunosuppressive activities.

One of the statins least entangled with other medicines, since it dissolves in water and skips the liver enzyme so many drugs compete for.

Pravastatin lowers LDL cholesterol by blocking a liver enzyme central to cholesterol production, and is prescribed to reduce cardiovascular risk.

The water-loving member of the statin family, which is why it sidesteps most of the drug interactions that trouble the others.

A term used to describe a condition that may (or is likely to) become cancer.

A skin disease marked by scaly or thickened patches on the skin and often caused by prolonged exposure to arsenic.

A skin disease marked by scaly or thickened patches on the skin and often caused by prolonged exposure to arsenic.

Growths on an internal lining that are not cancer, removed because a fraction of them would eventually have become cancer.

Research using animals to find out if a drug, procedure, or treatment is likely to be useful.

(Other name for: acarbose)

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many B-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood.

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.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood.

A type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the lymph nodes and spleen.

(Other name for: prednisone)

Eye drops, oral liquids and tablets all exist, and the palatable liquids are why it is so common in children.

Longer courses are wound down in steps rather than stopped outright, because the body pauses its own cortisol production.

Change the front of a term and the organ stays the same while the meaning flips from too much to too little.

Designed around the shape of a calming brain chemical, yet it works nowhere near that chemical's receptors.

Counted in weeks from a date that precedes conception, so the number in a scan report runs about two weeks ahead of the biology.

The trigger shot of fertility treatment: an injected pregnancy hormone borrowed because it fits the receptor that normally releases an egg.

(Other name for: troglitazone)

A group of diseases in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.

(Other name for: prednisolone)

A term used to describe a condition that may (or is likely to) become cancer.

Premarin is a brand name hormone medication supplying a mixture of estrogens used to relieve menopausal symptoms and related conditions.

Having to do with the time before menopause.

A phase of mycosis fungoides in which a patient has areas of red, scaly, itchy skin on areas of the body that are usually not exposed to sun.

Part instruction and part legal document, a prescription records exactly what was ordered and by whom, and stays in the record long afterward.

The area in front of the trachea (windpipe).

The area in the front part of the chest between the lungs.

Work done before illness appears, or early enough in its course that far less damage follows.

Preventive measures, such as vaccines, screening tests, and risk-reducing lifestyle changes, aim to stop a disease from developing rather than treat it afterward.

Surgery to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by removing one or both breasts before disease develops.

(Other name for: ziconotide)

Prilosec is the brand name for omeprazole, a medication that reduces stomach acid production to treat and prevent related digestive conditions.

Knowing a person across years is the working advantage, since a change from someone's own baseline is often the earliest signal available.

A primary care doctor manages a person's overall health over time, providing preventive care and coordinating referrals to specialists as needed.

The doctor who sees a problem before it has a name, and who decides which specialist, if any, should see it next.

Cancer that forms in the lymph tissue of the brain, spinal cord, meninges (outer covering of the brain), or eye (called ocular lymphoma).

A rare, aggressive (fast-growing) type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma marked by an abnormal build-up of fluids in a body cavity.

The main result that is measured at the end of a study to see if a given treatment worked (e.g., the number of deaths or the difference in survival between the treatment group and the control group).

A progressive, chronic disease in which the bone marrow is replaced by fibrous tissue and blood is made in organs such as the liver and the spleen, instead of in the bone marrow.

Initial treatment used to reduce a cancer.

Initial treatment used to reduce a cancer.

One of a group of cancers that develop from the same type of early cells, and share certain biochemical and genetic features.

(Other name for: lisinopril)

A synthetic hydroxamic acid derivative with potential antineoplastic activity.

A substance that can produce oxygen byproducts of metabolism that can cause damage to cells.

Probenecid lowers uric acid levels by blocking its reabsorption in the kidney and separately raises blood levels of certain antibiotics.

Strain is everything here, since evidence gathered for one probiotic organism does not carry over to a different organism in a different product.

The active ingredient in a drug that is used to treat advanced Hodgkin lymphoma and is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

The hydrochloride salt of a methylhydrazine derivative with antineoplastic and mutagenic activities.

Blocking dopamine in the brainstem area that triggers vomiting also explains the stiffness and restlessness this drug can cause.

(Other name for: allogeneic adult mesenchymal stem cells)

This injectable medication stimulates red blood cell production and is sold under the brand name Procrit, with epoetin alfa as its generic name.

Proctitis is inflammation of the rectal lining that can produce pain, bleeding, and a persistent urge to have a bowel movement.

(Other name for: therapeutic hydrocortisone)

Examination of the rectum using a proctoscope, inserted into the rectum.

Examination of the lower colon using a sigmoidoscope, inserted into the rectum.

(Other name for: recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin)

A recombinant, chimeric, dual-receptor agonist fusion protein with immunohematopoietic activity.

Genetics borrows the word for any generation descended from a defined parent, whether that parent is an organism, a cell or a virus.

Its rise and fall runs the second half of the cycle, and a well-timed measurement says whether ovulation happened at all.

A protein found inside the cells of the female reproductive tissue, some other types of tissue, and some cancer cells.

Describes cells that do not have a protein to which the hormone progesterone will bind.

Describes cells that have a protein to which the hormone progesterone will bind.