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DEFINITIONS |
| Actinic
Keratosis |
 |
Also
called solar keratosis. A non-malignant skin lesion
which is red and scaly. Although an actinic keratosis
is occasionally referred to as "premalignant",
it rarely ever becomes a true malignant tumor. |
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| Benign
Tumor |
|
A
noncancerous growth that does not invade nearby tissue
or spread to other parts of the body. |
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| Biopsy |
|
The
removal and microscopic examination of tissue from the
body for purposes of diagnosis. |
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| Cancer |
|
A
general term for many different diseases characterized
by abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells. The resulting
mass, or malignant tumor, can invade and destroy surrounding
normal tissues. In addition, certain types of cancer
can spread (metastasize) through the blood to start
new cancers in other parts of the body. |
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| Malignant
Tumor |
|
Cancer.
A growth of cancer cells (see definition of Cancer). |
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| Metastasize |
|
The
spread of cancer through the blood or lymph vessels
from one part of the body to another. |
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