General Medical Terms

LDH is the abbreviation for lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme present in most body tissues whose blood level rises whenever cells are damaged or dying.

A complex molecule that has both protein and sugars.

A technique that uses electric current passed through a thin wire loop to remove abnormal tissue.

A benign smooth muscle tumor, usually in the uterus or gastrointestinal tract.

Leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from smooth muscle cells, most often found in the uterus, abdomen, or retroperitoneum.

A lemon is a citrus fruit valued as a natural source of vitamin C, historically important for preventing the vitamin C deficiency scurvy.

A beta-glucan (a type of polysaccharide) from the mushroom Lentinus edodes (shiitake mushroom).

A serious problem that may occur in cancer in which cancer cells spread from the original (primary) tumor to the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

An area of abnormal tissue.

Leukoplakia is a thickened white patch on a mucous membrane, most often in the mouth, that occasionally develops into cancer.

Sexual desire or the mental energy or emotion related to sex.

The process of tying off blood vessels so that blood cannot flow to a part of the body or to a tumor.

A member of a group of substances found in plants that have shown estrogenic and anticancer effects.

The limbic system is a group of interconnected brain structures that governs emotional response, motivation, and the formation of memories.

A lipoma is a soft, slow-growing lump of fat cells that sits just beneath the skin and is not cancerous.

Able to dissolve, be dissolved in, or absorb lipids (fats).

Liposarcoma is a cancer arising from fat-cell precursors that most often develops in the deep soft tissue of a limb or the abdomen.

A liposome is a laboratory made, fat based capsule engineered to carry a drug through the body and release it more precisely.

A measure of volume for a liquid, using the metric system.

A living will is a written legal document that states a person's preferences for future medical care if they can no longer communicate them.