Definitions

Aromatase inhibitors (AI): a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer and ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women that block the aromatase enzyme. Examples: Aromasin, Femara. I was on both of these drugs and they eventually stopped working for me.

Bone scan - A technique to create images of bones on a computer screen or on film. It can be used to detect cancer in the bone.

CT scan [also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, computerized axial tomography, and CAT scan] - A series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles, created by an x-ray machine linked to a computer.

Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of cancer cells. It also harms cells that divide rapidly under normal circumstances: cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles. This results in the most common side-effects of chemotherapy: decreased production of blood cells, inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract and alopecia (hair loss).

Estrogen receptor: A protein on the surface or inside a cell that the hormone estrogen binds to.

Estrogen receptor positive [also called ER+] - Breast cancer cells that have estrogen receptors. Breast cancer cells that are ER+ depend on estrogen to grow.

Femara (chemical name: letrozole) - A drug that lowers the amount of estrogen made in the body after menopause. This can slow or stop the growth of cancer that needs estrogen to grow. It belongs to the group of drugs called "aromatase inhibitors".

Fulvestrant (brand name: Faslodex) - A drug used as a "second-line" hormonal therapy for women after menopause with advanced breast cancer that has hormone receptors. This means it is used after other hormonal treatments (e.g. Tamoxafin, Femara, Aromasin) have stopped working. It can slow or stop the growth of cancer that needs estrogen to grow. This is the drug that I am receiving now.

Incurable – There is no chance (or in the case of metastatic breast cancer, a 1-3% chance) of a cure. The person has a chronic disease that can be managed for long periods of time with chemotherapy and other treatments. This is where I classify myself.

Lung metastases - Cancer that has spread from the main (primary) tumor to the lung. If breast cancer metastasizes to the lung, the secondary tumor in the lung is made up of abnormal breast cells, not of abnormal lung cells. The tumor in the lung is then called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.

Metastatic (plural: metastases): Metastatic breast cancer is the spread of cancer from the breast to another part of the body. When this occurs, the new tumor is called a secondary or metastatic tumor, and its cells are like those in the original tumor. (Although the cancer is in my lung, it is not lung cancer. It is metastatic breast cancer in the lung).

Oncologist - A doctor who specializes in taking care of people with cancer. Some specialize in one type of cancer treatment. For example, a radiation oncologist treats cancer with radiation, and a medical oncologist treats cancer with medications. I am currently seeing a medical oncologist.

Palliative therapy - Treatment to relieve symptoms caused by advanced cancer. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life. (I have trouble with this one. According to my medical file, my treatment is considered 'palliative'. I think of palliative as what they do when you are dying. And I'm not dying!!!)

Port-a-cath [also called port] - A small device placed under the skin. It empties into a blood vessel and makes it easier to give chemotherapy and to take blood for tests.

Recurrence - This is when a cancer comes back after treatment. It can come back in the same place as the original one (local recurrence) or in a different part of the body (metastatic recurrence).

Stage IV breast cancer - invasive breast cancer in which the cancer has spread to other organs of the body -- usually the lungs, liver, bone, or brain. Once the cancer was found in the lung, I was classified as Stage IV.

Tamoxifen - A drug used to fight breast cancer cells that have hormone receptors. It blocks estrogen receptors on breast cancer cells. This can slow down or stop the growth of cancers that need estrogen to grow. It belongs to the family of drugs called "selective estrogen receptor modulators," or "SERMs."

Taxotere (chemical name: docetaxel) - A type of chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells by stopping their growth. It can also make it hard for cancer cells to repair themselves. (Taxotere is the chemo drug that I just completed 8 rounds of).

Terminal – I couldn’t find a definition online. While people use this term to describe incurable cancer, my definition is: There is nothing more that can be done and the person is dying.