Glossary
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Abscess: A pocket of pus that forms as
the body's defenses attempt to wall off infection-causing germs.
Areola: The colored tissue that
encircles the nipple.
Aspiration: Removal of fluid from a
cyst or cells from a lump, using a needle and syringe.
Atypical hyperplasia: Cells that are
both abnormal (atypical) and increased in number. Benign microscopic
breast changes known as atypical hyperplasia moderately increase a woman's
risk of developing breast cancer.
Average risk (for breast cancer): A measure of the chances of
getting breast cancer without the presence of any specific factors known
to be associated with the disease.
Benign: Not cancerous; cannot invade
neighboring tissues or spread to other parts of the body.
Benign breast changes: Noncancerous
changes in the breast. Benign breast conditions can cause pain, lumpiness,
nipple discharge, and other problems.
Biopsy: The removal of a sample of
tissue or cells for examination under a microscope for purposes of
diagnosis.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes: The principal
genes that, when altered, indicate an inherited susceptibility to breast
cancer. These gene alterations are present in 80 to 90 percent of
hereditary cases of breast cancer.
Breast density: Glandular tissue in
the breast common in younger women, making it difficult for mammography to
detect breast cancer.
Breast implants: Silicone rubber sacs,
which are filled with silicone gel or sterile saline, used for breast
reconstruction after mastectomy.
Calcifications: Small deposits of
calcium in tissue, which can be seen on mammograms.
Cancer: A general name for more than
100 diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control. Cancer cells can
invade and destroy healthy tissues, and they can spread through the
bloodstream and the lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in tissues lining or covering the
surfaces (epithelial tissues) of organs, glands, or other body
structures. Most cancers are carcinomas.
Carcinoma in situ: Cancer that is confined to the cells where it
began, and has not spread into surrounding tissues.
Chemoprevention: The use of drugs or
vitamins to prevent cancer in people who have precancerous conditions or a
high risk of cancer, or to prevent the recurrence of cancer in people who
have already been treated for it.
Chromosomes: Structures located in the
nucleus of a cell, containing genes.
Clinical breast exam: A physical
examination by a doctor or nurse
of the breast, underarm, and
collarbone area, first on one side, then on the other.
Computed tomography (CT) scanning: An
imaging technique that uses a computer to organize the information from
multiple x-ray views and construct a cross-sectional image of areas inside
the body.
Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD): the
use of special computer programs to scan mammographic images and flag
areas that look suspicious.
Core needle biopsy: The use of a small
cutting needle to remove a core of tissue for microscopic examination.
Cyclic breast changes: Normal tissue
changes that occur in response to the changing levels of female hormones
during the menstrual cycle. Cyclic breast changes can produce swelling,
tenderness, and pain.
Cyst: Fluid-filled sac. Breast cysts
are benign.
Diagnostic mammogram: The use of a
breast x-ray to evaluate the breasts of a woman who has symptoms of
disease such as a lump, or whose screening mammogram shows an
abnormality.
Digital mammography: A technique for
recording x-ray images in computer code, which allows the information to
enhance subtle, but potentially significant, changes.
Ducts: Channels that carry body
fluids. Breast ducts transport milk from the breast's lobules out to the
nipple.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS):
Cancer that is confined to the ducts of the breast tissue.
Excisional biopsy: The surgical
removal (excision) of an abnormal area of tissue, usually along with a
margin of healthy tissue, for microscopic examination. Excisional biopsies
remove the entire lump from the breast.
False negative (mammograms): Breast
x-rays that miss cancer when it is present.
False positive (mammograms): Breast
x-rays that indicate breast cancer is present when the disease is truly
absent.
Fat necrosis: Lumps of fatty material
that form in response to a bruise or blow to the breast.
Fibroadenoma: Benign breast tumor made
up of both structural (fibro) and glandular (adenoma) tissues.
Fibrocystic disease: See Generalized
breast lumpiness.
Fine needle aspiration: The use of a
slender needle to remove fluid from a cyst or clusters of cells from a
solid lump.
Frozen section: A sliver of frozen
biopsy tissue. A frozen section provides a quick preliminary diagnosis but
is not 100 percent reliable.
Generalized breast lumpiness: Breast
irregularities and lumpiness, commonplace and noncancerous. Sometimes
called "fibrocystic
disease" or "benign breast disease."
Gene: Segment of a DNA molecule and the fundamental biological
unit of heredity.
Genetic change: An alteration in a
segment of DNA, which can disturb a gene's behavior and sometimes leads to
disease.
Higher risk (for breast cancer): A measure of the chances of
getting breast cancer when factor(s) known to be associated with the
disease are present.
Hormone replacement therapy:
Hormone-containing medications taken to offset the symptoms and other
effects of the hormone loss that accompanies menopause.
Hormones: Chemicals produced by
various glands in the body, which produce specific effects on specific
target organs and tissues.
Hyperplasia: Excessive growth of
cells. Several types of benign breast conditions involve hyperplasia.
Incisional biopsy: The surgical
removal of a portion of an abnormal area of tissue, by cutting into
(incising) it, for microscopic examination.
Infection: Invasion of body tissues by
microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.
Infiltrating cancer: Cancer that has spread to nearby tissue,
lymph nodes under the arm, or other parts of the body. (Same as Invasive
cancer.)
Inflammation: The body's protective
response to injury (including infection). Inflammation is marked by heat,
redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function.
Intraductal papilloma: A small
wartlike growth that projects into a breast duct.
Invasive cancer: Cancer that has spread to nearby tissue, lymph
nodes under the arm, or other parts of the body. (Same as Infiltrating
cancer.)
Laser beam scanning: a technology
being studied in research for breast cancer detection that shines a laser
beam through the breast and records the image produced, using a special
camera.
Lobes, lobules, bulbs: Milk-producing
tissues of the breast. Each of the breast's 15 to 20 lobes branches into
smaller lobules, and each lobule ends in scores of tiny bulbs. Milk
originates in the bulbs and is carried by ducts to the nipple.
Localization biopsy: The use of
mammography to locate tissue containing an abnormality that can be
detected only on mammograms, so it can be removed for microscopic
examination.
Lumpectomy: Surgery to remove only the
cancerous breast lump; usually followed by radiation therapy.
Lymphatic system: The tissues and organs that produce, store,
and transport cells that fight infection and disease.
Macrocalcifications: Coarse calcium
deposits. They are most likely due to aging, old injuries, or
inflammations and usually are associated with benign conditions.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A
technique that uses a powerful magnet linked to a computer to create
detailed pictures of areas inside the body.
Malignancy: State of being cancerous.
Malignant tumors can invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts
of the body.
Mammary duct ectasia: A benign breast
condition in which ducts beneath the nipple become dilated and sometimes
inflamed, and which can cause pain and nipple discharge.
Mammogram: An x-ray of the breast.
Mammography: The examination of breast
tissue using x-rays.
Mastectomy: Surgery to remove the
breast (or as much of the breast as possible).
Mastitis: Infection of the breast.
Mastitis is most often seen in nursing mothers.
Menopause: The time when a woman's
monthly menstrual periods cease. Menopause is sometimes called the "change
of life."
Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of
discharge, during a woman's reproductive years, of blood and tissues from
the uterus.
Microcalcifications: Tiny deposits of
calcium in the breast, which can show up on a mammogram. Certain patterns
of microcalcifications are sometimes a sign of breast cancer.
Mutation: A change in the number,
arrangement, or molecular sequence of a gene.
Needle biopsy: Use of a needle to
extract cells or bits of tissue for microscopic examination.
Nipple discharge: Fluid coming from
the nipple.
Nonpalpable cancer: Cancer in breast
tissue that can be seen on mammograms but that cannot be felt.
One-step procedure: Biopsy and
surgical treatment combined into a single operation.
Osteoporosis: A condition of mineral
loss that causes a decrease in bone density and an enlargement of bone
spaces, producing bone fragility.
Palpation: Use of the fingers to press
body surfaces, so as to feel tissues and organs underneath. Palpating the
breast for lumps is a crucial part of a physical breast examination.
Pathologist: A doctor who diagnoses
disease by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.
Permanent section: Biopsy tissue
specially prepared and mounted on slides so that it can be examined under
a microscope by a pathologist.
Phytochemicals: Naturally occurring
chemicals found in plants that may be important nutrients for reducing a
person's cancer risk.
Positron emission tomography (PET
scanning): A technique that uses signals emitted by radioactive
tracers to construct images of the distribution of the tracers in the
human body.
Prophylactic mastectomy: Surgery to
remove a breast that is not known to contain breast cancer, for the
purpose of reducing an individual's cancer risk.
Rad: A unit of measure for radiation.
It stands for radiation absorbed dose.
Radiation: Energy carried by waves or
by streams of particles. Various forms of radiation can be used in low
doses to diagnose disease and in high doses to treat disease. See
X-rays.
Radiologist: A doctor with special
training in the use of x-rays (and related technologies such as
ultrasound) to image body tissues and to treat disease.
Risk: A measure of the likelihood of
some uncertain or random event with negative consequences for human life
or health.
Risk factors (for cancer): Conditions
or agents that increase a person's chances of getting cancer. Risk factors
do not necessarily cause cancer; rather, they are indicators,
statistically associated with an increase in likelihood.
Sclerosing adenosis: A benign breast
disease that involves the excessive growth of tissues in the breast's
lobules.
Screening mammogram: Breast x-ray used
to look for signs of disease such as cancer in people who are
symptom-free.
Sonogram: The image produced by
ultrasound.
Specimen x-ray: An x-ray of tissue
that has been surgically removed (surgical specimen).
Stereotactic localization biopsy: A
technique that employs three-dimensional x-ray to pinpoint a specific
target area. It is used in conjunction with needle biopsy of nonpalpable
breast abnormalities.
Surgical biopsy: The surgical removal
of tissue for microscopic examination and diagnosis. Surgical biopsies can
be either excisional or incisional. (See Excisional biopsy and Incisional
biopsy.)
Tamoxifen: A hormonally related drug
that has been used to treat breast cancer and is being tested as a
possible preventive strategy.
Tumor: An abnormal growth of tissue.
Tumors may be either benign or cancerous.
Tumor markers: Proteins (either amounts or unique variants) made
by altered genes in cancer cells that are involved in the progression of
the disease.
Two-step procedure: Biopsy and
treatment done in two stages, usually a week or two apart.
Ultrasound: The use of sound waves to
produce images of body tissues.
X-ray: A high-energy form of
radiation. X-rays form an image of body structures by traveling through
the body and striking a sheet of film. Breast x-rays are called
mammograms.
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