BREAST-IPEDIA
Active Treatment
Benign
Carcinoma
Another word for cancer.
Chemotherapy
Treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. The drugs are called cytotoxics, which means toxic to cells (cyto).
Double Mastectomy
Surgery to remove both breasts.
Early Breast Cancer
Breast cancer that is contained within the breast and may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit.
Early Menopause
Menopause occurring before the age of 45. This is often a side effect of breast cancer treatment.
Flat Closure
Surgery to achieve a flat chest wall contour after one or both breasts are removed. It may also be done after removal of a breast implant to restore breast shape.
Hookwire Localization
A guidewire may be required to localise an abnormal area in the breast that can be seen on imaging but cannot be felt clinically. The guidewire, a tiny wire similar to a fishing line, is inserted by a radiologist a few hours before the operation at the radiology practice.
Lymph Nodes
Small bean shaped structures that form part of the lymphatic system. They collect and destroy bacteria and viruses. The lymph nodes closest to the breast are in the armpit (axillary nodes). There are also lymph nodes under the breastbone (internal mammary nodes) and in the neck (supraclavicular nodes).
Lymphoedema
Persistent swelling in tissues (breast or arm) as a result of obstruction or damage of lymphatic vessels from infection, cancer or cancer treatment.
Lumpectomy
Also called breast conserving surgery or wide local excision. Surgery to remove the tumour with a rim of normal breast tissue.
Mastectomy
Surgery to remove the entire breast.
Medical Oncologist
A doctor who specialises in treating cancer with drug therapies such as chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and targeted therapy.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
Also called advanced or secondary breast cancer. Breast cancer that has spread to another part of the body.
Neoadjuvant Therapy
Treatment given before surgery, such as chemotherapy or endocrine therapy.
Node-Negative Breast Cancer
Breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes.
Node-Positive Breast Cancer
Breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
Oestrogen
A female sex hormone produced mainly by the ovaries that helps mature and regular the female reproductive system.
Pathologist
A doctor who examines cells and tissue removed during a biopsy or surgery.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
A government-funded scheme that subsidises some prescription medicines.
Progesterone
A hormone produced by the ovaries that prepares the lining of the uterus for pregnancy.
Prognosis
The likely outcome of a person’s disease.
Radiation Oncologist
A doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiation therapy.
Radiologist
A doctor who specialises in the use of x-rays, ultrasound and scans to diagnose and treat disease.
Radiotherapy
Treatment that uses radiation to kill cancer cells.
Risk Factor
A substance or condition that increases an individual’s chance of developing a particular type of cancer.
Secondary Breast Cancer
Also called advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Breast cancer that has spread to another part of the body.
Sentinel Node Biopsy
Removal of the sentinel node(s), the first lymph nodes to receive lymph fluid directly from a tumour.
Screening
Testing for signs of a disease in members of the public who do not have any symptoms.
Side Effect
The unintended effects of a drug or treatment.
Targeted Therapy
Drugs that attack specific targets inside cancer cells, such as transtuzumab (Herceptin) used for HER2 receptor positive breast cancers.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Breast cancer that is oestrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative and HER2 receptor negative.
Triple Positive Breast Cancer
Breast cancer that is oestrogen receptor positive, progesterone receptor positive and HER2 receptor positive.
Tumour
An abnormal growth or mass of tissue that may be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Tumour Grade
Cancer cells are given a grade according to how different they are to normal breast cells and how quickly they are growing.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 (low grade) | Cancer cells look a little different from normal cells. They are usually slow growing. |
| Grade 2 (intermediate grade) | Cancer cells do not look like normal cells. They are growing faster than grade 1 cancer cells. |
| Grade 3 (high grade) | Cancer cells look very different from normal cells. They are fast growing. |
