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Breast cancer glossary of terms

Here are definitions of some common terms associated with breast cancer.

Cancer
Carcinoma
Cell
Chemotherapy
Estrogen receptor
First-line
HER2
Hormone therapy
Intravenous
Metastatic (also known as advanced cancer)
Monotherapy
Oncologist
Overall response rate
Radiation therapy
Stage I
Stage II
Stage III
Stage IV
Targeted therapy
Time to progression
Tumor

Cancer
Cancer is actually a group of diseases. All forms of cancer cause cells in the body to change and grow out of control. Most types of cancer cells form a lump called a tumor, which can invade and destroy healthy tissue. Cells from a cancerous or malignant tumor can break away and travel to other parts of the body. They can continue to grow there. Some cancers, such as blood cancers, do not form tumors. Not all tumors are cancer. These tumors are called benign, because they do not grow and spread like cancer does. They are usually not a threat to life.³²

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Carcinoma
A malignant tumor that begins in the lining layer (epithelial cells) of organs. At least 80% of all cancers are carcinomas, and almost all breast cancers are carcinomas.³²

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Cell
The basic unit of which all living things are made. The processes that control formation of new cells and death of old cells are disrupted in cancer.³²

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Chemotherapy
Systemic treatment with drugs to destroy cancer cells. It is often administered intravenously and can be given as single therapy or in combination with multiple drugs at once. Chemotherapy can be administered concurrently or sequentially with other treatments and in addition to surgery or radiation to treat cancer when it has spread, when it has come back (recurred), or when there is a strong chance that it could recur.³²

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Estrogen receptor
A protein that is found inside some tumor cells. When estrogen attaches to the receptor, certain changes stimulate growth in the cell. As a result, treatments that prevent hormones from attaching to these receptors may stop tumor growth.³²

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First-line
The initial therapy for the condition being treated.³³

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HER2
This receptor is present in very small amounts on the outer surface of normal breast cells. About 25% to 30% of breast cancers have too much of this receptor. Cancers that have too much of this receptor tend to be more aggressive. Also referred to as ErbB2.³²

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Hormone therapy
Treatment with drugs that interfere with hormone production or hormone action.³²

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Intravenous
A method of supplying fluids or medications using a needle inserted in a vein.³²

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Metastatic (also known as advanced cancer)
A general term describing stages of cancer in which the disease has spread from the primary site to other parts of the body. When the cancer has spread only to the surrounding areas, it is called locally advanced. If it has spread to distant parts of the body, it is called metastatic.³²

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Monotherapy
The use of a single drug to treat a disease.³⁴

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Oncologist
A doctor with special training in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.³²

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Overall response rate
The percentage of people showing either a partial response or a complete (full) response to the given treatment. A partial response refers to the observation of tumor size decreasing (shrinking) by clinical (physical exam) or radiographic (X-rays, CT, MRI, PET, Bone Scan, etc.) assessment, and complete response refers to the complete disappearance of the tumor by clinical or radiographic assessments.³⁴

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Radiation therapy
Treatment with high-energy rays (such as X-rays) to kill cancer cells. The radiation may come from outside of the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (brachytherapy or internal radiation). Radiation therapy may be used to reduce the size of a cancer before surgery, to destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery, or in some cases, as the main treatment. In advanced cancer cases, it may also be used to provide symptomatic relief.³²

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Stage I
Early-stage breast cancer where the tumor is less than two centimeters across and hasn't spread beyond the breast.³⁵

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Stage II
Early-stage breast cancer where the tumor is either less than two centimeters across and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the affected breast; or the tumor is between two to five centimeters (with or without spread to the lymph nodes under the arm) on the same side as the affected breast; or the tumor is greater than five centimeters and hasn't spread outside the breast.³⁵

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Stage III
Locally advanced breast cancer where the tumor is greater than five centimeters across and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm; or the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes; or the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone or to other tissues near the breast.³⁵

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Stage IV
Metastatic breast cancer where the cancer has spread outside the breast to other organs in the body.³⁵

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Targeted therapy
A type of cancer treatment that is intended to attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells.³²

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Time to progression
Time to progression, or TTP, is the time between when a patient enters the study and the time that either her disease progresses (advances) or the patient dies due to breast cancer prior to progression.³⁴

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Tumor
An abnormal lump or mass of tissue. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).³²

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