False-Negative Test Result
A test result that incorrectly indicates that a condition is absent when it is actually present.
False-Positive Test Result
A test result that incorrectly indicates that a condition is present when it is actually absent.
Familial Cancer
Only about 5% to 10% of cancers are considered familial—meaning that more than one person in a family is diagnosed with the same type of cancer. These cancers may be the result of a gene mutation or shared behaviors, such as smoking. They often occur at a younger age than usual.
Fast Track
An FDA process designed to speed up the development and review of new drugs that fill an unmet need for treatment of serious illnesses.
Fiberoptics
The technology used to transmit information or light using flexible strands of glass or plastic that are as thin as a human hair. Fiberoptic instruments are used in imaging and diagnosis and may also deliver laser light to destroy tumors.
Fibroid
A benign tumor, usually found in the uterus or gastrointestinal tract.
Fibrosis
Formation of scar-like tissue anywhere in the body.
Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy
A procedure in which a thin needle is used to extract cells or fluid from suspicious or abnormal lumps in the body. As done with other biopsy types, the cells are then analyzed to make a diagnosis.
First-Line Therapy
The first treatment given to a patient, often followed by standard steps for additional treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. It is the treatment generally accepted as the best choice. Also called induction therapy or primary therapy.
Fusion Biopsy
A procedure that combines an MRI scan and an ultrasound to produce a 3-D image of the prostate. It may help find cancer cells missed by other types of biopsy and thus find cancer at an early stage.
