- I –
Immune system: Complex system by which the body is able to protect itself from foreign
invaders.
Immunotherapy: A type of treatment that stimulates the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
Immunotherapies may fight the cancer or control side effects from other cancer
treatments.
Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or
procedure advisable because of a particular condition or circumstance. For
example, certain medications are indicated for the treatment of hypertension
during pregnancy while others are contraindicated.
Infection: The invasion and multiplication of
microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites which are not normally
present within the body. An infection may cause no symptoms and be subclinical,
or it may cause symptoms and be clinically apparent. An infection may remain
localized, or it may spread through the blood or lymphatic vessels to become
systemic (bodywide). Microorganisms that live naturally in the body are not
considered infections. For example, bacteria that normally live within the
mouth and intestine are not infections.
Infiltrating cancer: Cancer, which can grow beyond
its site of origin into surrounding tissue.
Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces
redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a result of infection, irritation, or
injury. Inflammation can be external or internal.
Informed Consent: A process by which a person learns key facts about a clinical trial, including
potential risks and benefits, before deciding whether or not to participate.
The informed consent process continues throughout the trial.
Infusaport: A type of permanent catheter, round in
shape, surgically inserted into a neck vein. Allows administration of IV
fluids, blood products and medicines. Blood can also be drawn through it.
Inpatient Hospice Care: A type of hospice care that is delivered in healthcare facilities, such
as a hospice facility, hospital, or nursing home. It is used when pain and
other symptoms cannot be addressed at home.
In situ: A
term used to indicate that cancerous cells are present in the duct but have not
spread to the glandular tissue.
Insoluble Fiber: A tough, indigestible structure commonly found in fruits, vegetables,
seeds, legumes, and whole grains. This fiber does not dissolve readily in
water. Fiber types include cellulose, most hemicelluloses, and lignins.
Possible health effects include softened stools, regulation of bowel movements,
and lowered blood cholesterol.
Insulin: A natural hormone made by the pancreas
that controls the level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Insulin permits
cells to use glucose for energy. Cells cannot utilize glucose without insulin
Internal medicine: The medical specialty
dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment of adults. A physician who
specializes in internal medicine is referred to as an internist. Subspecialties
of internal medicine include allergy and immunology, cardiology (heart
diseases), endocrinology (hormone disorders), hematology (blood disorders),
infectious diseases, gastroenterology (diseases of the gut), nephrology (kidney
diseases), oncology (cancer), pulmonology (lung disorders), and rheumat-ology
(arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders).
Interventional: Pertaining to the act of
intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modifying the
outcome.
Interventional radiologist: A radiologist who
uses image guidance methods to gain access to vessels and organs. Interventional
radiologists can treat certain conditions through the skin (percutaneously)
that might otherwise require surgery. The technology includes the use of
balloons, catheters, microcatheters, stents, and therapeutic embolization
(deliberately clogging up a blood vessel). The specialty of interventional
radiology overlaps with other fields, including interventional cardiology,
vascular surgery, endoscopy, laparoscopy, and other minimally invasive
techniques, such as biopsies. Specialists performing interventional radiology
procedures today include not only radiologists but also other types of
physicians such as general surgeons, vascular surgeons, cardiologists,
gastroenterologists, gynecologists, urologists, and nephrologists.
Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the
abdomen that completes the process of digestion. It consists of the small and
large intestines.
Intravenous infusion: When a medicine or a fluid,
such as blood, is fed directly into a vein, it's called an intravenous infusion
(or IV). To give you an intravenous infusion, a nurse, technician or a doctor
places a narrow plastic tube into a vein (usually in your arm) using a needle.
The needle is then removed and the fluid is infused (or dripped) through the
tube into the vein.
Islet cell tumor: A tumor that arises from the
islet cells of the pancreas. The islet cells normally produce insulin and other
hormones, and so the tumors frequently, but not always, produce one of these
hormones. Islet cell tumors can be benign or malignant and generally cause
symptoms related to the hormone produced by the tumor. Specific types of islet
cell tumors include insulinomas, glucagonomas, and gastrinomas. People with a
family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN I) are at an increased
risk for the development of islet cell tumors. Treatments depend upon the type
of tumor and may include surgery, chemotherapy, and medications to treat the
symptoms of hormone excess.
Invasive Pancreatic Cancer: Cancer that originates in the pancreas, and then continues to grow and
spread deeper into healthy tissue located in and nearby the pancreas. Invasive
pancreatic cancer is more aggressive and may require a different treatment
approach than in situ (non-invasive) pancreatic cancer.
- J –
Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and
sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally high blood levels of the bile
pigment bilirubin. The yellowing extends to other tissues and body fluids.
Jaundice was once called the "morbus regius" (the regal disease) in
the belief that only the touch of a king could cure it
Jejunostomy Tube (j-tube): A feeding tube inserted through the abdomen into the small intestine,
bypassing the stomach. Special liquid food is given to the patient through the
j-tube. Pancreatic enzymes may be added to the liquid to aid in the breakdown
and absorption of nutrients.
Jejunum: Part
of the small intestine. It is half-way down the small intestine between its
duodenum and ileum sections.
- K –
Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the
right and left side of the abdomen. The kidneys remove waste products from the
blood and produce urine. As blood flows through the kidneys, the kidneys filter
waste products, chemicals, and unneeded water from the blood. Urine collects in
the middle of each kidney, in an area called the renal pelvis. It then drains
from the kidney through a long tube, the ureter, to the bladder, where it is
stored until elimination. The kidneys also make substances that help control
blood pressure and regulate the formation of red blood cells.
