| Tail of the pancreas |
The thin tip
of gland in the left part of abdomen, near the spleen. |
| Thromboplebitis |
An inflammation
of the veins accompanied by thrombus formation. It is sometimes referred
to as Trousseau's sign. |
| Thrombus |
A clot within
the cardiovascular system. It may occlude (block) the vessel or may be
attached to the wall of the vessel without blocking the blood flow. |
| Tumor |
This term simply
refers to a mass or neoplasm.
For example, a collection of pus is a tumor. This is a general term that
can refer to benign or malignant growths. |
| Ultrasound |
A painless procedure
in which high frequency sound waves are used to generate pictures of the
inside of the body. |
| Uncinate
process of the pancreas |
The part of the
gland that bends backwards and underneath the body of the pancreas. Two
very important blood vessels, the superior mesenteric artery and vein,
cross in front of this process. |
| Unresectable |
Unable to be
surgically removed. |
| Vaccine
therapy |
This is a new
type of treatment, largely still experimental. It is a medication made
of killed or weakened cells, organisms or manufactured materials, which
is used to boost the body's immune system. Ideally, this will allow the
body to fight and kill the cancer cells more effectively. Vaccines include
whole killed cancer cells or specific proteins from the cancer.
This is an area of
ongoing research at Johns Hopkins. |
| Whipple
procedure |
There are several
variations of this procedure. It typically involves the surgical removal
of the head of the pancreas, a portion of the duodenum and a portion of
the bile ducts. |
| Reference: The Johns
Hopkins Family Health Book; Michael J. Klag Editor, Harper Collins Pub.,
1999. |
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