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Glossary Terms: 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-46
abdomen
:
the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis; it contains the stomach (with the lower part of the esophagus), small and large intestines, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and bladder.
ablative therapy
(ab-lay-tive)
:
treatment that removes or destroys the function of an organ, for example, removing the ovaries or testicles or having some types of treatment that cause them to stop working.
adenocarcinoma
(add-en-o car-sin-o-muh)
:
cancer that starts in the glandular tissue, such as the prostate.
adenoma
(add-uh-no-ma)
:
a benign growth starting in the glandular tissue. See also, fibroadenoma.
adenomatous polyps
:
a benign growth of glandular cells, for example, those that line the inside of the colon or rectum. There are three types of colorectal adenomas: tubular, villous, and tuberovillous.
adjuvant therapy
(add-joo-vunt)
:
treatment used in addition to the main treatment. It usually refers to hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation added after surgery to increase the chances of curing the disease or keeping it in check.
adrenal gland
:
one adrenal gland is located near each kidney. Their main function is to produce hormones which control metabolism, fluid balance, and blood pressure. In addition, they produce small amounts of "male" hormones (androgens) and "female" hormones (estrogens and progesterone).
advance directives
:
legal documents that tell the doctor and family what a person wants for future medical care, including whether to start or when to stop life-sustaining treatment
advanced cancer
:
A general term describing stages of cancer in which the disease has spread from the primary site to other parts of the body. When the cancer has spread only to the surrounding areas, it is called locally advanced. If it has spread further by traveling through the bloodstream, it is called metastatic.
AJCC Staging System
:
American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (also called the TNM system), which describes the extent of a cancer's spread in Roman numerals from 0 through IV. See also, staging.
Glossary Terms: 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-46
