Thyroid Cancer Glossary of Terms

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Adam's apple: The familiar feature on the front of the neck that is the forward protrusion...

Adjuvant: A substance that helps and enhances the effect of a drug, treatment, or biologic...

Aging: The process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environ...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Aspiration: Removal of a sample of fluid and cells through a needle. Aspiration also re...

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 ...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Bridge: A set of one or more false teeth supported by a metal framework, used to replace ...

Calcitonin: A hormone produced by the thyroid gland that lowers the levels of calcium and ...

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 registry: This registry collects information about the occurrence (incidence) of ca...

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

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

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

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

Computerized tomography: Pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

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 ...

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. One of two types of molecules that encode genetic information...

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

Endocrinology: The study of the medical aspects of hormones, including diseases and condit...

Familial: A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by...

Fine needle aspiration: The use of a thin needle to withdraw material from the body for an...

Gene: The basic biological unit of heredity. A segment of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) need...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Genetic testing: Tests done for clinical genetic purposes. Genetic tests may be done for ...

GI tract: Short for gastrointestinal tract. See: Gastrointestinal tract.

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is a term referring to abnormal voice changes. Hoarseness may be ma...

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

Hypothyroid: Deficiency of thyroid hormone which is normally made by the thyroid gland wh...

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 ...

Iodine: An element in the diet that is essential for the manufacture of hormones by the th...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lobectomy: An operation to remove an entire lobe of the lung.

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...

Lymphoma: A tumor of the lymphoid tissue. The major types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's diseas...

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

Marker: A piece of DNA that lies on a chromosome so close to a gene that the marker and t...

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

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

Mutation: A permanent change, a structural alteration, in the DNA or RNA. In humans and m...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Neck pain: Neck pain is the sensation of discomfort in the neck area. Neck pain can result...

Neoplasia: Abnormal new growth of cells.

Nodule: A small collection of tissue that is palpable (can be felt) at any level of the sk...

Nuclear medicine: The branch of medicine concerned with the use of radioisotopes in the di...

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

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

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Progressive: Increasing in scope or severity, advancing, or going forward. For example, a ...

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

Proto-oncogene: A normal gene which, when altered by mutation, becomes an oncogene that ca...

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 ...

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

Radioactive iodine: An isotope of the chemical element iodine that is radioactive. Radioa...

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

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Registry: A collection of information. A registry is usually organized so that the data in...

Residual: Something left behind. With residual disease, the disease has not been eradicate...

Sarcoma: One of a group of tumors usually arising from connective tissue. Most sarcomas ar...

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

SEER: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Ends Results (SEER) program that maintains stati...

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...

Syringe: A medical device that is used to inject fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the b...

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...

Thyroglobulin: A protein that is found primarily in the thyroid gland. Some thyroglobulin ...

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Thyroid cancer: Cancer of the gland in front of the neck that normally produces thyroid ho...

Thyroid gland: A gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, b...

Thyroid hormone: A chemical substance made by the thyroid gland for export into the bloods...

Thyroid hormones: Chemical substances made by the thyroid gland, which is located in the...

Thyroid scan: An image taken of a patient's thyroid gland after the patient swallows radio...

Thyroidectomy: Surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland. Thyroidectomy might be ...

Thyrotropin: A hormone produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain in respons...

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Trachea: A tube-like portion of the respiratory tract that connects the larynx with the br...

TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone.

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...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

Windpipe: The trachea, a tube-like portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract that conn...