- benign breast changes
- umbrella term that encompasses several different noncancerous conditions that occur in the breast tissue, including trauma, breast pain, infection, skin changes, nipple discharge, and tumors
- biologic response modifier
- medication that uses the patient’s own immune system to recognize and get rid of cancer cells
- BRCA1
- gene associated with increased risk of breast cancer when mutations occur in it
- BRCA2
- gene associated with increased risk of breast cancer when mutations occur in it
- calcification
- calcium deposit found in the breast tissue that is usually benign but can sometimes indicate an early breast cancer
- core needle biopsy (CNA)
- procedure that removes a larger amount of tissue for analysis because it uses a larger hollow needle
- fibroadenoma
- painless, noncancerous tumor found in the breast tissue
- fibrocystic breast changes
- changes in either or both breasts that can cause lumpiness, or nodularity, or pain in the affected breast(s)
- fibrosis
- thickening of the glandular tissue
- fine needle aspiration (FNA)
- placement of a small needle (21 g to 25 g) into the lesion to obtain a tissue or fluid sample
- HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)
- protein important in cell growth that, when found in high levels in breast cancer cells, causes the cancer to grow more quickly and spread more aggressively
- intraductal papilloma
- benign tumor that grows inside the milk ducts of the breasts
- lumpectomy
- surgical procedure that removes the tumor, a small ring of healthy tissue around the tumor (to ensure that all cancer cells are removed) and, possibly, some axillary lymph nodes
- mammary ductal ectasia
- (also: periductal mastitis) chronic inflammation of the breast tissue that also causes dilated mammary ducts with thickened walls; plasma cell infiltration; leakage of fluid into the surrounding tissue, leading to inflammation and fat necrosis; and sometimes the formation of an abscess
- mammography
- the x-ray visualization of the breast tissue, obtained by compressing the breast between two plates
- mastalgia
- breast pain
- mastectomy
- the removal of the entire breast, including the nipple and areola
- multiple papillomas
- papillomas found in the smaller milk ducts farther from the nipple
- nonlactation mastitis
- an inflammation of the breast tissue in a non–breast-feeding person, which may or may not occur with an infection
- periductal mastitis (PDM)
- (also: mammary ductal ectasia) chronic inflammation of the breast tissue that also causes dilated mammary ducts with thickened walls; plasma cell infiltration; leakage of fluid into the surrounding tissue, leading to inflammation and fat necrosis; and sometimes the formation of an abscess
- solitary papilloma
- individual, single tumor that grows close to the nipple in the larger milk ducts
- triple negative cancer
- cancer that is negative for HER2 protein and estrogen/progesterone receptors
- triple positive cancer
- cancer that is positive for HER2 protein and estrogen/progesterone receptors