Glossary of Medical Terms

A rare type of Ewing sarcoma that forms in soft tissue instead of bone. It usually occurs in the chest, pelvis, thigh, foot, or spine. Extraskeletal Ewing sarcomas usually occur in children and young adults. They belong to a group of cancers called Ewing sarcoma family of tumors. Also called extraosseous Ewing tumor and extraskeletal Ewing tumor.

A rare type of Ewing sarcoma that forms in soft tissue instead of bone. It usually occurs in the chest, pelvis, thigh, foot, or spine. Extraskeletal Ewing tumors usually occur in children and young adults. They belong to a group of cancers called Ewing sarcoma family of tumors. Also called extraosseous Ewing tumor and extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma.

A rare type of cancer that forms in cartilage or other soft tissue but not in bone. It usually occurs in the head and neck. Most extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcomas are fast-growing and may spread to other parts of the body. They may also recur (come back) many years after treatment. Extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma usually occurs in young adults. It is a type of soft tissue sarcoma.

A rare type of cancer that forms in cartilage near bones. It usually occurs in the thigh, knee, buttock, or trunk (chest and abdomen). The tumor may grow large and spread to nearby tissue or to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes and lungs. It may also recur (come back) many years after treatment. The cancer cells usually have a certain genetic change called a translocation (part of one chromosome switches places with part of another chromosome). Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma usually occurs in middle-aged or older adults, and is rare in children and adolescents. It is a type of soft tissue sarcoma.

A rare, fast-growing type of cancer that is made up of bone and cartilage cells, and forms in soft tissue near bones. It usually occurs in the thigh, buttock, shoulder, or trunk (chest and abdomen). It often recurs (comes back) after treatment and spreads to other parts of the body, including the lungs. Extraskeletal osteosarcoma usually occurs in middle-aged or older adults, and is rare in children and adolescents. It is a type of soft tissue sarcoma. Also called extraosseous osteosarcoma.

A condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside of the uterus, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. Symptoms include sharp pain on one side of the abdomen and bleeding from the vagina. Also called ectopic pregnancy.

The leakage of blood, lymph, or other fluid, such as an anticancer drug, from a blood vessel or tube into the tissue around it. It is also used to describe the movement of cells out of a blood vessel into tissue during inflammation or metastasis (the spread of cancer).

Blistering and tissue damage caused by certain drugs when they leak out of a vein into the tissue around it. The damage is sometimes severe and can lead to tissue necrosis (tissue death).

A term used to describe breast tissue that is made up of almost all dense fibrous tissue and glandular tissue. On a mammogram, the dense areas of the breast make it harder to find tumors or other changes. Women who have extremely dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer than those who have little or no dense breast tissue. Extremely dense breast tissue is one of four categories used to describe a level of breast density seen on a mammogram. About 10% of women have this type of breast tissue.

A type of very low-energy radiation that travels in long waves. Although there have been health concerns, it is not known to cause harmful health effects, including cancer. The most common sources of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields are power lines, electrical wiring, and electrical appliances, such as shavers, hair dryers, and electric blankets. Also called ELF-EMF.