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Glossary

Showing 461-470 out of 1156 Terms

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  • Follow-up care

    (FAH-loh-up kayr)

    Care given to a patient over time after finishing treatment for a disease. Follow-up care involves regular medical checkups, which may include a physical exam, blood tests, and imaging tests. Follow-up care checks for health problems that may occur months or years after treatment ends, including the development of other types of cancer. Follow-up care is given after positive screening test results, such as a positive Pap test result. In cancer patients, one purpose of follow-up care is checking to see if the cancer has come back or has spread to other parts of the body.

  • Foot drop

    Weakness in your foot muscles.

  • Frontal lobe

    One of the four subdivisions of the cerebral cortex. The frontal lobe has a role in controlling movement and in the planning and coordinating of behavior. (from BrainFacts.org)

  • Fulminant infectious mononucleosis

    Fulminant infectious mononucleosis (FIM) is a rare but life-threatening complication of Epstein-Barr virus infection that usually affects individuals with compromised immune systems. (Source: Postmortem diagnosis of fulminant infectious mononucleosis, Journal of Medical Society)

  • Fungi

    A group of micro organisms larger than either bacteria or viruses, which occasionally cause serious infection when your resistance is lowered.

  • G tube

    (... toob)

    A tube inserted through the wall of the abdomen directly into the stomach. It allows air and fluid to leave the stomach and can be used to give drugs and liquids, including liquid food, to the patient. Giving food through a gastrostomy tube is a type of enteral nutrition. Also called PEG tube and percutaneous endoscopic tube.

  • G-CSF

    A drug used under the brand names Neupogen, Zarxio, and Nivestym to treat neutropenia (a lower-than-normal number of white blood cells), prevent infection, and prepare the blood for the collection of certain types of blood cells, and under the brand name Granix to treat neutropenia. G-CSF is used in patients who have certain cancers and neutropenia caused by some types of chemotherapy and in patients who have severe chronic neutropenia that is not caused by cancer treatment. It is also used before an autologous stem cell transplant. G-CSF helps the bone marrow make more white blood cells. It is a type of colony-stimulating factor. Also called filgrastim and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

  • G6PD deficiency

    (… deh-FIH-shun-see)

    An inherited disorder in which a person doesn’t have enough of an enzyme called G6PD that helps red blood cells work the way they should. In G6PD deficiency, the red blood cells break down when the body is exposed to infection, severe stress, or certain drugs, chemicals, or foods. This may lead to a condition called hemolytic anemia. This disorder is most common in African-American men and in men of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean descent. Also called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.

  • GIST

    A type of tumor that usually begins in cells in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be benign or malignant. Also called gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

  • Gadolinium

    (GA-duh-LIH-nee-um)

    A metal element that is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other imaging methods. It is a contrast agent, which helps show abnormal tissue in the body during imaging with a special machine.