Breast Cancer Helpline 888.753.5222 Living Beyond Breast Cancer LBBC Homepage

Glossary of Terms

Introduction

Parts of this glossary have been taken or adapted from the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Dictionary and the American Breast Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Dictionary.

This glossary does not contain definitions of medications. To learn more about specific medications, visit the website of the National Cancer Institute.

Many thanks to the healthcare practitioners who reviewed portions of this glossary:

  • Mechelle Barrick, RN, BSN, OCN, Greater Baltimore Medical Center
  • Debra S. Copit, MD, Albert Einstein Medical Center
  • Ann L. Honebrink, MD, Penn Health at Radnor
  • Isabel I. Law, RN, South Carolina Comprehensive Breast Center
  • Judith Macon, RN, MA, Suburban Hospital Cancer Program
  • Suzanne McGettigan Bensman, MSN, CRNP, AOCN
  • Lisa McGinty, RN, BSN, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania
  • Maria Rocktashel, MSN, CRNP, Delaware Valley Surgical Associates
  • Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center
  • Michele D. Stolper, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Fionda N. Williams, RN, BSN, Baltimore City Cancer Program

Glossary

Select a highlighted letter to show terms beginning with that letter.
* 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on a glossary term below to search the site for the selected term.
watchful waiting

Closely monitoring a person's condition but withholding treatment until symptoms appear or change. Also called observation.

watercress

Nasturtium officinale. Parts of the flowering plant have been used in some cultures to treat certain medical problems. It may have anticancer effects. Also called Indian cress.

WBC

White blood cell. Refers to a blood cell that does not contain hemoglobin. White blood cells include lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and mast cells. These cells are made by bone marrow and help the body fight infection and other diseases.

wedge resection

A surgical procedure to remove a triangle-shaped slice of tissue. It may be used to remove a breast tumor and a small amount of normal tissue around it.

white blood cell

WBC. Refers to a blood cell that does not contain hemoglobin. White blood cells include lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and mast cells. These cells are made by bone marrow and help the body fight infection and other diseases.

whole cell vaccine

Vaccine made from whole tumor cells that have been changed in the laboratory.

wide excision

The surgical removal of a portion of the breast as well as a small amount of breast tissue that contains and surrounds the tumor.

wild clover

Trifolium pratense. A plant whose flowers have been used in some cultures to treat certain medical problems. It is being studied in the relief of menopausal symptoms and may have anticancer effects. Also called red clover and purple clover.

wire localization

A procedure in which a needle is inserted into an area in the breast that cannot be felt by the surgeon. It guides the surgeon to what tissue should be removed in a surgical biopsy or lumpectomy. The wire localization is done the same day as surgery.

Wobe-Mugos E

A mixture made from an extract of the calf thymus gland and enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body) from the papaya plant, the pancreas of cows, and the pancreas of pigs. It has been used in Europe as a treatment for a variety of cancers and for herpes virus infections.

womb

The small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a fetus develops. Also called the uterus.

Top of Page
Glossary of Terms