| Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) |
A painless method
for taking pictures of internal organs. A tube-like machine with a powerful
magnet generates images of the inside of the body. |
| Malignant
tumor |
A cancer that
has the potential of invading nearby tissues, spreading to other organs
(metastasizing) and possibly leading to the patient's death. |
| Metastatic
cancer |
A cancer that
has spread from one organ to another. Pancreas cancer most frequently metastasizes
to the liver. In general, cancers that have metastasized are generally
not treated surgically, but instead are treated with chemotherapy and/or
radiation therapy. |
| Mutation |
An alteration
in the DNA
of a cell. |
| Neck
of the pancreas |
The thin section
between the head and the body of the gland. |
|
Neoadjuvant chemo and radiation therapy |
Chemotherapy
and radiation therapy given to patients before surgery. Some centers feel
that the use of neoadjuvant therapy improves local and regional control
of disease and that it may make more patients surgical candidates. |
| Neoplasm |
An abnormal
new growth of tissue that grows more rapidly than normal cells and will
continue to grow if not treated. These growths will compete with normal
cells for nutrients. This is a general term that can refer to benign or
malignant growths. It is a synonym for the word tumor
. |
| Oncologist |
A medical doctor
who specializes in the treatment of tumors
. |
| -ostomy |
A surgically
created opening in an organ that can also be referred to as an
anastamosis. |
Reference: The Johns
Hopkins Family Health Book; Michael J. Klag Editor, Harper Collins Pub.,
1999.
|
