Words to Know

TAC regimen

Also called TAC. An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used with other types of therapy to treat breast cancer. It includes the medicines docetaxel (Taxotere), doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide.

tai chi

A form of traditional Chinese mind/body exercise and meditation that uses slow sets of body movements and controlled breathing. Tai chi is done to improve balance, flexibility, muscle strength and overall health.

tailored intervention

The use of communication, medicines, or other types of treatments specific for an individual, or a group, to improve health or change behavior.

talk therapy

Also called psychotherapy. Treatment of mental, emotional, personality and behavioral disorders using methods such as discussion, listening and counseling.

tamoxifen

Also called tamoxifen citrate. A medicine used to treat certain types of breast cancer in women and men. It is also used to prevent breast cancer in women who have had ductal carcinoma in situ (abnormal cells in the ducts of the breast), and in women who are at a high risk of developing breast cancer. Tamoxifen is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. It blocks the effects of the hormone estrogen in the breast. Tamoxifen is a type of antiestrogen.

targeted therapy

A type of treatment that uses medicines or other substances, such as monoclonal antibodies, to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatments.

taxane

A type of medicine that blocks cell growth by stopping mitosis (cell division). Taxanes interfere with microtubules (cellular structures that help move chromosomes during mitosis). They are used to treat cancer. A taxane is a type of mitotic inhibitor and a type of antimicrotubule agent.

Taxol

Also called paclitaxel. A medicine used to treat breast cancer. It blocks cell growth by stopping cell division and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antimitotic agent.

Taxotere

Also called docetaxel. A medicine used together with other agents to treat certain types of breast cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, and certain types of head and neck cancer. Taxotere is a type of mitotic inhibitor.

Tc 99m sulfur colloid

A substance used to find sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer. It is also being studied as a way to find cancer in the body. It contains a radioactive substance called technetium linked to a substance called sulfur colloid. Sulfer colloid is taken up by special cells in lymph tissue, and in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow after it is injected. A machine or probe that detects radioactivity is used to find where the Tc 99m sulfur colloid is in the body.

technician

A person trained in the techniques (methods) and skills of a profession. For example, a mammogram technician is trained to perform mammograms.

terminal disease

Disease that cannot be cured and will cause death.

therapeutic

Having to do with treating disease and helping healing take place. In vaccine therapy, a therapeutic vaccine is intended for individuals already affected with an illness, while prophylactic (preventative) vaccines are intended to prevent the illness. Some therapeutic vaccines are being studied in the treatment of breast cancer.

therapeutic touch

Also called healing touch. A form of complementary and integrative medicine based on the belief that vital energy flows through the human body. This energy is said to be balanced or made stronger by practitioners who pass their hands over, or gently touch, a person's body. Therapeutic touch is being studied in individuals receiving cancer therapy to find out if it can improve quality of life, boost the immune system, or reduce side effects. Therapeutic touch is a type of energy therapy.

therapy

Treatment.

thermography

In medicine, a procedure in which a heat-sensing infrared camera is used to record the surface heat produced by different parts of the body. Abnormal tissue growth can cause temperature changes, which may show up on the thermogram. Thermography may be used to diagnose breast cancer and other tumors.

thiethylperazine

A medicine used to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting. It belongs to the families of medicine called antiemetics and phenothiazines.

thiotepa

An anticancer medicine that belongs to the family of agents called alkylating agents.

third-line therapy

Treatment that is given when both initial treatment (first-line therapy) and the next treatment (second-line therapy) don't work, or stop working.

thrush

Also called candidiasis, candidosis. A condition in which Candida albicans, a type of yeast, grows out of control in moist skin areas of the body. It is usually a result of a weakened immune system, but can be a side effect of chemotherapy or treatment with antibiotics or corticosteroid medicine. Thrush usually affects the mouth (oral thrush). Rarely, it spreads throughout the entire body.