Cervical Cancer Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Ablation: Removal or excision. Ablation is usually carried out surgically. For example, su...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Abstinence: The voluntary self-denial of food, drink, or sex. Today, abstinence most commo...

Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

Basement membrane: A thin membrane that is composed of a single layer of cells.

Biological therapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune (defense)...

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Calorie: A unit of food energy. The word calorie is ordinarily used instead of the more pr...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Cancer causes: In most individual cases of cancer, the exact cause of cancer is unknown. T...

Cancer of the cervix: See: Cervical cancer.

Cancer symptoms: Abnormal sensations or conditions that persons can notice that are a resu...

Capsule: Capsule has many meanings in medicine including the following:

1. In medici...

Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. Ex...

Carcinoma in situ: Cancer that has stayed in the place where it began and has not spread t...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Cauterization: The use of heat to destroy abnormal cells. Also known as diathermy and elec...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

Cervical cancer: Cancer of the entrance to the womb (uterus). The cervix is the lower, na...

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: The growth of abnormal precancerous cells on the surfa...

Cervix: The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus, a hollow, ...

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Clinical trial: A study that is intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medic...

Clinical trials: Trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of medications or medical...

Colposcope: A lighted magnifying instrument used by a gynecologist to examine the tissues ...

Colposcopy: A procedure in which a lighted magnifying instrument called a colposcope (or v...

Cone: A type of specialized light-sensitive cell (photoreceptor) in the retina of the eye ...

Conization: Surgery to remove a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix and cervical c...

Cryosurgery: Treatment performed with an instrument that freezes and destroys abnormal tis...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diathermy: The use of heat to destroy abnormal cells. Also called cauterization or electro...

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Dysplasia: Abnormality in form or development. For example, retinal dysplasia is abnormal ...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Excision: 1. Surgical removal, as in the excision of a tumor. 2. The remov...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Fertility: The ability to conceive and bear children, the ability to become pregnant throu...

Genital: Pertaining to the external and/or internal organs of reproduction.

Gynecologic oncologist: A physician who specializes in treating cancers of the female repr...

Gynecologist: A physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive ...

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

HPV: Human papillomavirus.

Human papillomavirus: HPV. A family of over 100 viruses including those which cause warts ...

Hysterectomy: An operation to remove the uterus. Hysterectomies are most commonly performe...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Implant: 1. To embed; to set in firmly. In embryology, the fertilized egg implants ...

In situ: In the normal location. An in situ tumor is one that is confined to its site of o...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injure: To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Fr...

Intraepithelial: Within the layer of cells that forms the surface or lining of an organ. F...

Invasive cervical cancer: Cancer that has spread from the surface of the cervix to tissue ...

Laser: A powerful beam of light that is used in some types of surgery to cut or destroy ti...

Laser surgery: A type of surgery that uses the cutting power of a laser beam to make blood...

Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change. Lesions vary in severity from harmless to serio...

Liquid nitrogen: Nitrogen in a liquid state. Liquid nitrogen is supercool -- about 200 deg...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Local therapy: In the context of cancer, treatment that affects cells in the tumor and the...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system, carrying cell...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

Membrane: A very thin layer of tissue that covers a 'surface.

Menopause: The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

Metastasis: 1. The process by which cancer spreads from the place at which it firs...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Neoplasia: Abnormal new growth of cells.

Nitrogen: Element number 7, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is biologically impo...

Nutrition: 1) The science or practice of taking in and utilizing foods. 2) A nourishing ...

Nutritionist: 1) In a hospital or nursing home, a person who plans and/or formulates spe...

Oncologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. After a ...

Operating room: A facility that is equipped for performing surgery. Abbreviated OR.

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

Outpatient: A patient who is not hospitalized, but instead comes to a physician?s office, ...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pap Smear: A screening test for cervical cancer based on the examination of cells under th...

Pap test: A screening test for cervical cancer that involves the microscopic examination o...

Pathologist: A physician who identifies diseases and conditions by studying abnormal cells...

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

Pelvic exam: An examination of the organs of the female reproductive system.

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Precancerous: Pertaining to something that is not yet overtly cancerous, but appears to be...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Radiation oncologist: A physician whose specialty is the use of radiation therapy as a tre...

Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells, stopping them from ...

Radioactive: Emitting energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. Radioactive substances a...

Radiotherapy: The treatment of disease with ionizing radiation. Also called radiation ther...

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until...

Recur: To occur again; to return. For example, a symptom, sign, or disease can recur.

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Sexually transmitted disease: Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microo...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Squamous intraepithelial lesion: A general term for the abnormal growth of squamous cells ...

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

Staging: stagingDoing exams and tests to learn the extent of a cancer, especially whether ...

STD: Sexually transmitted disease.

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

Uncertainty: "Medicine's ground state is uncertainty. And wisdom -- for both patients and ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Vaccines: Microbial preparations of killed or modified microorganisms that can stimulate a...

Vagina: The muscular canal that extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is ...

Vaginal discharge: Vaginal discharge is a fluid produced by glands in the vaginal wall and...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Vital: Necessary to maintain life. For example, breathing is a vital function.

Voluntary: Done in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of i...

Vulvar: Pertaining to the vulva, the female external genitalia including the labia majora,...

Womb: The womb (uterus) is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located in a woman's lower abdomen ...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...