Glossary

A

Adrenal glands

A pair of organs located on top of the kidneys that produce hormones, including estrogen.

Antiestrogen

Any medication that prevents cells from making estrogen or responding to estrogen; these medications are used to treat breast cancers that depend on estrogen for growth.

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C

Chemotherapy

Treatment with drugs that attack and kill rapidly growing cancer cells and some normal cells.

Clinical trials

A medical study that tests the safety and effectiveness of a drug or intervention in people.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy

Treatment with drugs that kills cells, especially cancer cells.

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E

Estrogen

A female hormone; one of the hormones that can help some breast cancer tumors grow.

Estrogen receptor antagonist

A drug that blocks the stimulating effect of estrogen on a tumor cell.

Estrogen receptors

A protein found inside cells. The hormone estrogen will bind to the receptors inside the cells and may cause the cells to grow.

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H

Hormonal treatment

In breast cancer treatment, hormonal treatment is the use of drugs to block the effects or production of estrogen.

Hormone receptor-positive

Cells that have a receptor for estrogen or progesterone. Cancer cells that are hormone receptor positive can grow when estrogen or progesterone attach to receptors.

Hormones

Substances produced by organs or cells in your body that affect bodily processes. (Estrogen and progesterone are examples.)

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I

Intramuscular injection

An injection given into the muscle.

Invasive breast cancer

Cancer that has spread from where it started in the breast into surrounding, healthy tissue.

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L

Locally advanced breast cancer

These are tumors that are either growing into the skin of the breast or tissues of the chest wall or have spread into lymph nodes, matting them together.

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M

Metastatic breast cancer

Cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.

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N

Noninvasive breast cancer

Breast cancer that has not grown outside of the breast ducts (tubes that carry milk) or the lobules (glands that make milk).

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P

Postmenopausal

The time after menopause. Menopause is when you have permanently stopped having menstrual periods. .

Progesterone

A hormone that is important in menstruation and fertility. It may affect the growth of some breast cancers (those that are determined to be progesterone receptor positive).

Progesterone receptors

Message-carrying proteins that may stimulate tumor growth.

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