Lumpectomy Glossary of Terms

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

Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

Areola: 1. The small darkened area around the nipple of the breast. 2. The colored part of...

Axillary: Pertaining to the armpit, the cavity beneath the junction of the arm and the bod...

Axillary dissection: Removal of a portion of the lymph nodes under the arm.

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

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

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Breast cancer: Breast cancer is diagnosed with self- and physician-examination of the brea...

Breast lump: A localized swelling, knot, bump, bulge or protuberance in the breast. Breast...

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

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...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Collagen: The principal protein of the skin, tendons, cartilage, bone, and connective tiss...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Connective tissue: A material made up of fibers forming a framework and support structure...

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

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

Dissection: The process of cutting apart or separating tissue as, for example, in the stud...

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

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

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

Fetus: An unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after concep...

Galen: Greek physician and philosopher (born about 129 AD, died about 210 AD) known among ...

Genetics: The scientific study of heredity. Genetics pertains to humans and all other orga...

Gynecology: The branch of medicine that is particularly concerned with the health of the f...

Hair loss: Hair loss is the thinning of hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss ...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Hormone therapy: Treatment of disease or symptoms with synthetic or naturally derived horm...

Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

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

Irradiation: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other...

Lumpectomy: The surgical removal of a small tumor, which may be benign or cancerous. In co...

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by autoimmunity. Patients with lupus ...

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

Lymph node: One of many small, bean-shaped organs located throughout the lymphatic system....

Lymphatic: Pertaining to a small, thin channel that is similar to a blood vessel and that ...

Lymphatic system: The tissues and organs, including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and l...

Lymphedema: A condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. Lymp...

Malignancy: A tumor that is malignant (cancerous), that can invade and destroy nearby tiss...

Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant ...

Mammogram: An X-ray of the breast that is taken with a device that compresses and flattens...

Mastectomy: A general term for removal of the breast, usually to remove cancerous tissue. ...

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

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Node: Literally a knot, a node is a collection of tissue. For example a lymph node, is a ...

Obstetrics: The art and science of managing pregnancy, labor, and the puerperium (the time...

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...

Palpable: Something that can be felt. For example, a palpable growth is one that can be de...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Phlebitis: Inflammation of a vein. With phlebitis, there is infiltration of the walls of t...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

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

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

Range of motion: The full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion and ...

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

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

Resection: Surgical removal of part of an organ.

Scleroderma: A disease of connective tissue that causes scar tissue (fibrosis) to form in ...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sentinel lymph node: The first lymph node to receive lymphatic drainage from a tumor. The ...

Sentinel lymph node biopsy: Examination of the first lymph node ("gland") that receives ly...

Sentinel node biopsy: See: Sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Shoulder: A structure made up of two main bones: the scapula (shoulder blade) and the hume...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

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

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

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

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 ...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

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

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

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