Laboratory, Pathology and Biomarker Terms

Visible only under a microscope, it produces no lump, no symptom and no change in a blood test result.

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 measurement of how fast PSA levels in the blood increase over time.

The falling red cells are only a stand-in; what the test really tracks is a shift in the proteins dissolved around them.

The most abundant protein in blood, and a number that tracks how ill someone is far more reliably than how well they eat.

Examination under a microscope of cells found in sputum (mucus and other matter brought up from the lungs by coughing).