Glossary
Medical terms, in plain English
Words that show up in charts, portals, and appointments — defined the way a friend who's a doctor would explain them. If a term you need isn't here, ask Cura.
Cancer & pathology
- HER2+ (HER2-positive)
- A breast or gastric cancer that has extra HER2 protein on its cells, making it grow faster but treatable with HER2-targeted drugs like trastuzumab.About 15–20% of breast cancers are HER2+. Being HER2+ means specific targeted therapies work well for you, so it is often good news at the treatment-planning stage.
- ER/PR positive
- A breast cancer whose cells grow in response to estrogen (ER) or progesterone (PR), which means hormone-blocking pills can treat it.
- Triple-negative
- A breast cancer that is ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative, so it does not respond to hormone or HER2 therapies and is usually treated with chemotherapy and sometimes immunotherapy.
- Grade (tumor grade)
- How abnormal cancer cells look under the microscope; grade 1 looks close to normal and grows slowly, grade 3 looks very abnormal and grows faster.
- Stage
- How far a cancer has spread, from stage 0 (in place) to stage 4 (spread to distant parts of the body).Stage is not the same as grade. Staging usually uses the TNM system — tumor size, node involvement, metastasis.
- Metastasis
- Cancer that has spread from where it started to another part of the body.
- In situ
- Abnormal cells that have not spread beyond the layer where they started (e.g., DCIS is ductal carcinoma in situ).
- Margins
- The edge of tissue removed during surgery; 'negative' or 'clear' margins mean no cancer cells at the edge, 'positive' means cancer reached the edge.
- Biopsy
- A small sample of tissue taken so a pathologist can look at the cells under a microscope and confirm a diagnosis.
- Biomarker
- A measurable feature of your body or tumor — like a gene, protein, or hormone — that helps predict how a disease will behave or which treatment will work.
- Ki-67
- A protein marker that shows how many cancer cells are actively dividing; a higher Ki-67 usually means faster-growing cancer.
- Oncotype DX
- A genomic test on breast tumor tissue that estimates the chance the cancer will come back and whether chemotherapy is likely to help.
Labs & imaging
- CBC (complete blood count)
- A blood test measuring red cells, white cells, and platelets — used to screen for anemia, infection, and clotting problems.
- CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)
- A blood test showing kidney function, liver function, blood sugar, and electrolyte levels.
- MRI
- Magnetic resonance imaging — a scan that uses magnets and radio waves to create detailed pictures of soft tissue, with no radiation.
- CT scan
- A scan that uses X-rays taken from many angles to build cross-section images of the body.
- PET scan
- A scan that uses a small amount of radioactive sugar to find areas of high cell activity, often used to detect cancer spread.
Cardiology
- Ejection fraction (EF)
- The percentage of blood the left ventricle pumps out with each beat; normal is roughly 55–70%.
- Coronary artery disease
- Narrowing or blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, usually from plaque buildup.
- Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
- An irregular, often fast heart rhythm from the top chambers of the heart that raises the risk of stroke.
- Stent
- A small mesh tube placed inside a blocked artery to hold it open and restore blood flow.
Diabetes
- A1C
- A blood test showing your average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months; used to diagnose and monitor diabetes.Normal is below 5.7%. 5.7–6.4% is prediabetes. 6.5% or higher on two tests confirms diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes
- A condition where the body doesn't use insulin well, causing high blood sugar; often managed with lifestyle changes, pills like metformin, and sometimes insulin.
- Metformin
- The most common first-line pill for Type 2 diabetes; it lowers the amount of sugar the liver releases.
- GLP-1 (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy)
- A class of injectable medications that lower blood sugar and often cause weight loss by slowing digestion and boosting insulin.
Neurology & dementia
- Alzheimer's disease
- The most common cause of dementia, marked by progressive memory loss and changes in thinking caused by protein buildup in the brain.
- MCI (mild cognitive impairment)
- Noticeable memory or thinking changes that don't yet interfere with daily life; some cases progress to dementia and some do not.
- Lewy body dementia
- A form of dementia that also causes visual hallucinations, movement problems, and big swings in alertness.
General
- Prognosis
- A doctor's best estimate of how a disease will progress and the likely outcome.
- Palliative care
- Specialized care focused on relieving symptoms and stress from a serious illness; it can be given alongside curative treatment at any stage.
- Hospice
- Comfort-focused care for people expected to live six months or less; it stops disease-directed treatment and prioritizes quality of life.
- Second opinion
- A consultation with another qualified doctor to confirm a diagnosis or review a treatment plan.
- Advance directive
- A legal document that spells out the medical care you want if you can't speak for yourself.
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