Words to Know
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.