A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ABCDE rule: Acronym for the general guidelines for identifying an atypical mole or melanoma based on the following features: asymmetry, irregular border, multiple or unusual color, large diameter, and evidence that the mole is evolving (changing).

Acetaminophen: A generic name of a type of medicine used to relieve pain. Tylenol is a brand name of a product that contains acetaminophen.

Acquired nevi: Moles that appear during childhood or adulthood.

Acral lentiginous melanoma: Melanoma that typically appears on the palms, soles, or under the nails. It accounts for less than 5% of all melanomas but is the most common melanoma in African Americans and Asians.

Actinic keratoses: A precancerous condition of flat, pink, scaly spots that grow on sun-damaged skin of older, fair-skinned people.

Adenovirus: A virus that can cause respiratory and eye infections, and that is being investigated as a part of a strategy known as gene therapy. Adenovirus is used to deliver one of a number of genes that may have a role in treating cancer including melanoma, as well as other diseases.

Adjuvant: A substance added to a vaccine to improve the body's immune response. Used in reference to immunization.

Adjuvant therapy: Treatment given in addition to a primary cancer treatment to further decrease the chance of cancer recurrence.

Advanced melanoma: Metastatic melanoma that is no longer capable of being cured by surgery.

Albinism: Condition characterized by the inability to produce melanin, resulting in a lack of pigment in the skin, hair, or eyes.

Aldesleukin: A manufactured form of interleukin-2.

Allogeneic vaccines: Vaccines made from tumor cells taken from individuals other than the patient.

Allovectin-7: A gene-based immunotherapy under investigation as a treatment for metastatic melanoma.

Alpha interferon: See Interferon alpha

American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC): A distinguished group of experts responsible for developing and updating guidelines on cancer staging. Member organizations include national healthcare organizations and major cancer centers around the country, such as the American Cancer Society, the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Amino acids: The building blocks of proteins.

Anemia: Too few red blood cells in the bloodstream, resulting in reduced oxygen to tissues and organs.

Anesthetic: A substance that causes loss of feeling or awareness. A local anesthetic causes loss of feeling in a specific part of the body into which the anesthetic has been applied or injected. A general anesthetic puts the person to sleep and is often used for surgical procedures.

Angiogenesis: The process by which new blood vessels are produced.

Angiogenesis inhibitors: A family of drugs able to prevent the growth of new blood vessels that supply malignant tumors.

Anti-angiogenesis: the prevention of new blood vessel formation.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy: A type of biological therapy that uses angiogenesis inhibitors to prevent or alter the growth of new blood vessels that feed malignant tumors.

Antibody: A protein produced and secreted by a B cell in response to an antigen. Each antibody recognizes and binds to a particular antigen and may as a result of the binding inactivate or destroy it, or allow other components of the immune system to do so.

Antigen-presenting cell (APC): A specialized type of white blood cell that engulfs antigens and breaks them down into smaller fragments. These fragments are transported to the surface of the APC, where they are linked to special marker proteins and "presented" to a T cell. This process results in instructing the T cell to recognize that substance or component.