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Febrile
Fever, elevated body temperature.
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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.
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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.
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Fertility
(fer-TIH-lih-tee)
The ability to produce children.
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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.
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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.
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Fever
An increase in body temperature above normal (98.6 degrees F), usually caused by disease.
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First-line therapy
(... THAYR-uh-pee)
The first treatment given for a disease. It is often part of a standard set of treatments, such as surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation. When used by itself, first-line therapy is the one accepted as the best treatment. If it doesn’t cure the disease or it causes severe side effects, other treatment may be added or used instead. Also called induction therapy, primary therapy, and primary treatment.
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Five-year survival rate
(... ser-VY-vul ...)
The percentage of people in a study or treatment group who are alive five years after they were diagnosed with or started treatment for a disease, such as cancer. The disease may or may not have come back.
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Flow cytometry
(floh sy-TAH-meh-tree)
A laboratory method that measures the number of cells, the percentage of live cells, and certain characteristics of cells, such as size and shape, in a sample of blood, bone marrow, or other tissue. The presence of tumor markers, such as antigens, on the surface of the cells are also measured. The cells are stained with a light-sensitive dye, placed in a fluid, and then passed one at a time through a beam of light. The measurements are based on how the stained cells react to the beam of light. Flow cytometry is used in basic research and to help diagnose and manage certain diseases, including cancer.
