Brand name, Abraxane. A medicine used to treat breast cancer that has spread or that has come back within six months after chemotherapy. It is also being studied in the treatment of newly diagnosed breast cancer and other types of cancer. Nanoparticle paclitaxel is a type of mitotic inhibitor. Also called ABI-007, paclitaxel albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation, and protein-bound paclitaxel.

The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research. The National Cancer Institute conducts, coordinates, and funds cancer research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. Access the National Cancer Institute Web site at http://www.cancer.gov. Also called NCI.

A federal agency in the U.S. that conducts biomedical research in its own labs; supports the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; helps in the training of research investigators; and fosters communication of medical information. Access the National Institutes of Health Web site at http://www.nih.gov. Also called NIH.

A system of complementary medicine that emphasizes disease prevention and treatment, and the notion of treating 'the whole person,' rather than a specific region affected by disease. Naturopathy favors methods of healing that assist the body in healing itself. Those methods can include dietary supplements and herbal medicines, some of which are not approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Naturopathy also utilizes nutrition, acupuncture, aromatherapy, meditation, exercise, and body work such as yoga, as forms of treatment. It steers away from pharmaceutical medicines and surgery, whenever possible. In the United States, naturopathic physicians are trained in natural health care at accredited medical colleges. Because of an increased demand for natural medicine from consumers, integrative partnerships have formed between conventional medical doctors and licensed Naturopathic Doctors (NDs). Individuals affected by breast cancer who receive naturopathic treatments should take an integrative approach by consulting a general practitioner or oncologist before using any complementary therapies. An integrative approach helps the individual in breast cancer treatment to avoid any interactions between pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, or any therapies that could slow or prevent the healing process.

A federal agency that uses science to explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices, trains CAM researchers, and provides authoritative information about CAM to professionals and the public. NCCAM awards grants for research projects, training, and career development in CAM; sponsors conferences, educational programs, and exhibits; studies ways to use proven CAM practices along with conventional medical practice; and supports adding CAM to medical, dental, and nursing school programs. NCCAM is part of the National Institutes of Health. Also called National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

A group of researchers, cancer centers, and community doctors who are involved in studies of new cancer treatment, prevention, early detection, quality of life, and rehabilitation. Clinical trials carried out by cooperative groups are sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and large numbers of participants take part in many locations. Examples include the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), and Children's Oncology Group (COG).

Also called needle/wire localization and wire localization. A procedure used to mark a small area of abnormal tissue so it can be removed by surgery. An imaging device is used to guide a thin wire with a hook at the end through a hollow needle to place the wire in or around the unhealthy area. Once the wire is in the right place, the needle is removed and the wire is left in place so the doctor will know where the unhealthy tissue is. The wire is removed when a biopsy is done.

A lymph node in the armpit that is free of breast cancer.

Treatment given as a first step to shrink a tumor before the main treatment, which is usually surgery, is given. Examples of neoadjuvant therapy include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. It is a type of induction therapy.

A bundle of fibers that receives and sends messages between the body and the brain. The messages are sent by chemical and electrical changes in the cells that make up the nerves.

Having to do with the ability to think and reason. This includes the ability to concentrate, remember things, process information, learn, speak and understand.

Also called peripheral neuropathy. A nerve problem that causes pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in different parts of the body. It usually begins in the hands or feet and gets worse over time. Neuropathy may be caused by physical injury, infection, toxic substances, disease (such as cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, or malnutrition), or medicines, including anticancer agents.

A substance that is poisonous to nerve tissue.

A federal agency in the U.S. that conducts biomedical research in its own labs; supports the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; helps in the training of research investigators; and fosters communication of medical information. Access the NIH Web site at http://www.nih.gov. Also called National Institutes of Health.

Fluid that is not milk coming from the nipple.

Also called magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures can show the difference between healthy and diseased tissue. NMRI makes better images of organs and soft tissue than other scanning techniques, such as computed tomography (CT) or X-ray. NMRI is especially useful for imaging the breast tissue, brain, spine, the soft tissue of joints, and the inside of bones.

Breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.

Describes a clinical trial or other experiment in which the researchers know what treatments are being given to each study subject or experimental group. If human subjects are involved, they know what treatments they are receiving.

Breast cancer that stays inside the ducts or the lobules of the breast. An example of a noninvasive breast cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ, a very early type of cancer where breast cancer cells are located in the milk ducts. Because these cells cannot spread at this stage, DCIS is considered noninvasive breast cancer. In some cases, DCIS may become invasive cancer if it is not removed, although doctors are still learning how to predict which DCIS will become invasive. The term 'noninvasive' in general use, in medicine, describes a procedure that does not require inserting an instrument through the skin or into a body opening.

Breast cancer that has not spread from the primary site (place where it started) to other places in the body, such as the lymph nodes.

A clinical trial in which the participants are not assigned by chance to different treatment groups. Participants may choose which group they want to be in, or they may be assigned to the groups by the researchers.

A medicine that decreases the production of sex hormones (estrogen or testosterone) and slows the growth of tumors that need sex hormones to grow. An example of a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor used in breast cancer treatment is anastrozole (brand name, Arimidex).

Also called reference interval, reference range, and reference values. In medicine, a set of values that a doctor uses to interpret an individual's test results. The normal range for a given test is based on test results for 95 percent of the healthy population. Sometimes individuals whose test results are outside of the normal range may be healthy, and some individuals whose test results are within the normal range may have a health problem. The normal range for a test may be different for different groups of people (for example, men and women).

A Latin abbreviation for 'nothing by mouth.'

An evaluation of the size and shape of the nucleus in tumor cells and the percent of tumor cells that are in the process of dividing or growing. Breast cancers with low nuclear grade grow and spread less quickly than cancers with high nuclear grade.

A method of diagnostic imaging that uses very small amounts of radioactive material. The individual is injected with a liquid that contains the radioactive substance, which collects in the part of the body to be imaged. Sophisticated instruments detect the radioactive substance in the body and process that information into an image.

A health professional trained to care for people who are ill or disabled.

Also called medical nutrition therapy. Treatment based on nutrition. It includes checking a person's nutrition status, and giving the right foods or nutrients to treat conditions, such as those caused by breast cancer. One example of a condition caused by breast cancer is chronic fatigue, which may be addressed by nutritional therapy. It may involve simple changes in a person's diet, or intravenous or tube feeding. Nutrition therapy may help individuals recover more quickly and spend less time in the hospital.

The state of a person's health in terms of the nutrients in his or her diet.