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Glossary

Showing 441-450 out of 1156 Terms

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  • Familial cancer

    (fuh-MIH-lee-ul KAN-ser)

    Cancer that occurs in families more often than would be expected by chance. These cancers often occur at an early age, and may indicate the presence of a gene mutation that increases the risk of cancer. They may also be a sign of shared environmental or lifestyle factors.

  • Family tree

    A drawing that shows the different members of a family, their relationships to one another and any medical conditions that they might have. By looking at the patterns present within the family tree, a medical professional can see whether a genetic condition might run in the family.

  • Fanconi anemia

    (fan-KOH-nee uh-NEE-mee-uh)

    A rare inherited disorder in which the bone marrow does not make blood cells. It is usually diagnosed in children between 2 and 15 years old. Symptoms include frequent infections, easy bleeding, and extreme tiredness. People with Fanconi anemia may have a small skeleton and brown spots on the skin. They also have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.

  • Fatigue

    (fuh-TEEG)

    A condition marked by extreme tiredness and inability to function due to lack of energy. Fatigue may be acute or chronic.

  • Febrile

    Fever, elevated body temperature.

  • Febrile neutropenia

    (FEH-brile noo-troh-PEE-nee-uh)

    A condition marked by fever and a lower-than-normal number of neutrophils in the blood. A neutrophil is a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection. Having too few neutrophils increases the risk of infection.

  • Fellow

    A physician who has completed residency. May be a fully trained pediatrician or internist and is doing further study to become a sub-specialist in a field of interest.

  • Fertility

    (fer-TIH-lih-tee)

    The ability to produce children.

  • Fertility preservation

    (fer-TIH-lih-tee PREH-zer-VAY-shun)

    A type of procedure used to help keep a person’s ability to have children. A fertility preservation procedure is done before a medical treatment that may cause infertility, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Examples of fertility preservation procedures include sperm banking, egg freezing, in vitro fertilization with embryo freezing, and certain types of surgery for cervical and ovarian cancer.

  • Fetal

    (FEE-tul)

    Having to do with a fetus. A fetus is an unborn baby that develops and grows inside the uterus. In humans, the fetal period begins 8 weeks after fertilization of an egg by a sperm and ends at birth.