You will have a lot to learn and many decisions to make if you’re diagnosed with breast cancer.
Don’t get lost in unfamiliar breast cancer jargon; instead, use this glossary as your reference guide for breast cancer facts and information.
Adenocarcinoma:
The most common type of breast cancer, which begins in glandular tissues of the breast.
Adjuvant Therapy:
Additional therapy used in conjunction with another treatment; for example, using hormone therapy or chemotherapy in addition to surgery to treat breast cancer.
Aromatase inhibitors:
Newer drugs used to treat breast cancer; they reduce estrogen production and are considered a type of hormone therapy.
Aspiration:
Procedure that uses a needle to remove fluid from a lump.
Atypical hyperplasia:
Benign breast condition in which there are abnormalities of the breast; though not cancer, it is a risk factor for breast cancer.
Axillary:
Located in the armpit.
Benign:
Non-cancerous; a benign tumor means there is no cancer present.
Biological therapy (immunotherapy):
A type of breast cancer treatment that boosts the body’s immune system and increases its ability to fight cancer.
Biopsy:
Diagnostic procedure that involves removing a small sample of suspicious tissue to determine whether or not it is cancerous; a suspicious breast lump will be biopsied to look for cancer cells.
BRCA1 and BRCA2:
The two genes that, when mutated, are the cause of most inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancers.
Carcinoma:
Type of cancer that originates in the cells that form the lining of a gland or organ.
Chemotherapy:
Type of cancer treatment that involves drugs to destroy cancer cells. It’s often used in conjunction with other forms of breast cancer treatment.
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