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Glossary
A
Anastrozole (Arimidex): A medication used to treat advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women whose cancers are
responsive to hormones and who have not responded to treatment with other medications, such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex).
Anastrozole decreases the amount of estrogen that women's bodies make so that the growth of breast cancers that require
estrogen to grow may slow.
Arimidex (anastrozole): See anastrozole.
Aromasin (exemestane): See exemestane.
Atypical hyperplasia: A noncancerous condition in which cells have abnormal features and are dividing at a greater than normal
rate.
Axillary lymph nodes: The lymph nodes under the arm connected to lymph vessels from the breast.
Axillary lymph node dissection: Surgical removal of some axillary lymph nodes, which are examined to help determine whether
cancer cells have entered the lymphatic system.
B
Biological therapy: Also called immunotherapy, are medications, generally protein molecules that are made from a living
organism. In breast cancer, these medications are used to target receptors on the surfaces of cancer cells to slow or stop their
growth.
Biopsy: Removal of cells or tissues for examination under a microscope. A needle biopsy involves removing a sample of cells or
fluid with a needle. An incisional or core biopsy removes a sample of tissue. An excisional biopsy removes an entire mass of tissue.
Bisphosphonates: A class of drugs that treat certain bone disorders, including some related to cancer.
BRCA1 & 2: Also referred to as Breast Cancer Gene 1 and 2. These are genes that, when present, place women at greater risk of
developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer than the general population.
Breast-conserving surgery: Surgery that removes the breast cancer, but not the breast itself. These surgeries include
lumpectomy, in which the surgeon removes the tumor and some tissue surrounding it, and segmental mastectomy, in which the
surgeon removes the cancer and a larger area of normal breast tissue nearby.
Breast self-exam (BSE): Regular examination of the breasts by women themselves.
C
Capecitabine (Xeloda): An oral chemotherapy agent that is used to treat metastatic breast cancer.
Chemotherapy: The use of medications, often in combination, to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing them or by
preventing them from dividing.
Clinical trials: Research studies that provide data from direct medical care to assess the effectiveness of treatments and other
interventions.
D
Docetaxel (Taxotere): A chemotherapy agent that stops or slows the growth of cancer cells and is used to treat breast cancer
that has spread to other parts of the body.
Ductal carcinoma: The most common form of breast cancer, which begins in the lining of the tubes that carry milk to the nipple.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): Cancer cells in the lining of a duct. The cells have not spread outside of the duct to other
tissues in the breast.
Ducts: A tube through which body fluids pass; in breasts, ducts link the lobes and lobules to the nipple and transport milk.
E
Ellence (epirubicin): See epirubicin.
Epirubicin (Ellence): A chemotherapy agent used to treat breast cancer in women who have had breast surgery and have
evidence that the cancer has spread to lymph nodes under the arms.
Exemestane (Aromasin): A hormonal therapy used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women whose cancers have not
responded well to tamoxifen (Nolvadex). Aromasin interferes with the production of estrogen so that the growth of breast cancers
that require estrogen may slow.
Evista (raloxifene): See raloxifene.
F
Filgrastim (Neupogen): A biologic therapy that acts as a colony stimulating factor, a substance made in the body that helps the
bone marrow make white blood cells. Colony stimulating factors may be given after chemotherapy to help prevent infections. They
may also be used after bone marrow and stem-cell transplantation to help bone marrow recover.
G
Goserelin acetate (Zoladex): A hormonal therapy used to treat breast cancer in women who have not reached menopause. It is
a man-made hormone that decreases the amount of estrogen in the body, which may help slow the growth of breast cancer.
H
Herceptin (trastuzumab): See trastuzumab.
Hormonal therapy: Treatment for women whose cancers respond to hormones. Hormonal therapy medications either reduce the
production of cancer-feeding hormones or block the hormones from attaching to the cancer cells.
Hypercalcemia: Abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood, often caused by the breakdown of bone.
I
Inflammatory breast cancer: A type of locally advanced breast cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen because cancer
cells block the lymph vessels in the skin.
In situ cancer: Early cancers that have not spread to surrounding tissues.
Invasive cancer: Cancer that has spread to surrounding tissues.
L
Leukine (sargramostim): See sargramostim.
Lobes: A portion of the breast. Each breast has about 20 lobes.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS): A cluster of abnormal cells in the lining of a lobule. These cells rarely become invasive
cancers themselves, but women with LCIS are at increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
Lobules: A segment of a lobe that, in the breast, contains milk-producing bulbs.
Localized cancer: Cancer that has not spread beyond its point of origin.
Lymph: The clear fluid that travels through the lymphatic system carrying cells that help fight infection and disease.
Lymph nodes: A small oval structure that filters lymph. Sometimes called lymph glands.
M
Mammography: A screening tool that uses X-rays to make pictures of the breast.
Mastectomy: An operation that removes the breast, or as much of the breast as is possible. In a total mastectomy, the surgeon
removes the breast and sometimes some lymph nodes under the arm. In a modified radical mastectomy, the breast, most of the
lymph nodes, and often some of the lining of the chest muscles are removed. In the rarely used radical mastectomy, the surgeon
removes the breast, chest muscles, lymph nodes under the arm, and some additional fat and skin.
Metastasis: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another.
N
Nolvadex (tamoxifen): See tamoxifen.
P
Paclitaxel (Taxol): A chemotherapy agent that slows or stops the growth of cancer cells and is used to treat breast cancer that
has spread to other parts of the body.
Pamidronate (Aredia): One of a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, pamidronate may help reduce bone pain, lower the risk
of broken bones and treat hypercalcemia, high levels of calcium in the blood. Some research shows it may help prevent or stop
bone metastasis.
R
Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.
Raloxifene (Evista): An approved osteoporosis medication that is undergoing trials to determine whether it can prevent breast
cancer in women at high risk for the disease. Raloxifene is chemically similar to the drug tamoxifen.
Regional cancer: Cancer that has moved beyond its original site to nearby lymph nodes, organs or tissues.
S
Sargramostim (Leukine): A biologic therapy that acts as a colony-stimulating factor, a substance made in the body that helps
the bone marrow make white blood cells. Colony stimulating factors may be given after chemotherapy to help prevent infections.
They may also be used after bone marrow and stem cell transplantation to help bone marrow recover.
Sentinel lymph-node biopsy: A surgical procedure in which the first lymph node draining the cancerous area is identified and
removed to evaluate for cancer spread.
T
Tamoxifen (Nolvadex): A drug that blocks the effects of estrogen and is used to treat breast cancer. It may also be used to
reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
Taxol (paclitaxel): See paclitaxel.
Taxotere (docetaxel): See docetaxel.
Trastazumab (Herceptin): A biologic therapy used to treat metastatic breast cancer in patients whose cancers are positive for
the human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER-2).
U
Ultrasonography: Sometimes used in combination with mammography, ultrasonography uses high-frequency sound waves to
determine the physical nature of a lump.
X
Xeloda (capecitabine): See capecitabine.
Z
Zoladex (goserelin acetate): See goserlin acetate.
Zoledronic acid (Zometa): One of a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, zoledronic
acid may help reduce bone pain, lower the risk of broken bones and treat hypercalcemia,
high levels of calcium in the blood. Some research shows it may help prevent or stop
bone metastasis.
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