Allele:An alternative form of a gene that occupies a particular locus in a chromosome.
Autosomal dominant: It is a pattern of inheritance where an affected individual has atleast one affected parent. This pattern affects either sex and transmitted by either sex.
Atypical hyperplasia : A benign (noncancerous) condition in which cells have abnormal features and are increased in number.
Axilla: The armpit or underarm
Benign: Not cancerous; does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.
Cell cycle: The series of events involving the growth, replication, and division of an eukaryotic cell.
Conserved sequence: A base sequence in a DNA molecule that has remain unchanged throughout evolution.
Cyst: A sac or capsule filled with fluid.
Duct: A tube through which body fluids pass.
Exon: The protein-coding DNA sequence of a gene.
Founder effect: Genetic change observed in a population founded by a small non-representative sample of a large population
Frameshift mutation: A mutation that alters the normal triplet reading frame so that codons downstream from the mutation are out of register and not read properly
Gene: The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA which contains the information for making a specific protein.
Germline mutation: Any detectable and heritable alteration in the lineage of germ cells. Mutation in these cells (i.e generative cells ancestral to the gametes) are transmitted to the progeny while those in the somatic cells are not.
Hamartoma: Tumour like but non-neoplastic overgrowth of tissue that is disordered in structure
Heterozygote: An organism that has different alleles at a particular gene locus on homologous chromosomes
Histology:Study of microscopic structure of tissues.
Intron: The DNA base sequence interrupting the protein-coding sequences of a gene; intron sequences are transcribed into RNA but are cut out of the message before it is translated into protein.
Locus: The position of a gene on a chromosome .
Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infection and disease. Also called lymphatic fluid.
Lymph node: Small bean-shaped organ made up of a loose meshwork of reticular tissue which contains large numbers of lymphocytes, macrophages and accessory cells located along the lymphatic system.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): The use of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to produce electronic images of specific atoms and molecular structures in solids, especially human cells, tissues, and organs.
Malignant: Cancerous; a growth with a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.
Melanoma: A dark-pigmented, usually malignant tumor arising from a melanocyte and occurring most commonly in the skin.
Mitosis: A process where a eukaryotic cell divides to give two identical daughter cells.
Monoclonal Antibody : Antibodies produced in the laboratory by specialized cells called hybridomas. The important features of these antibodies include their specificity of binding to a single antigen (protein), the ability to produce them in unlimited amounts, and their homogeneity. These antibodies have proven to be very useful in the detection of several diseases (including, but not limited to, cancer and various viral infections) and in therapy (for certain cancers).
Motif: A short conserved region in a protein sequence.
Mutation: Any permanent and heritable change in DNA sequence or any abrupt change of phenotype which is inherited.
Nonsense mutation: Mutation that changes a codon or an amino acid to a termination or stop codon and leads to premature termination of translation
Pathogenesis: The development of a diseased or morbid condition
Penetrance: The degree to which a mutation is expressed as phenotype. Depending on the variation in the severity of the phenotype, penetrance is termed as high or low.
Phenotype: The appearance of an organism with respect to a particular character or group of characters (physical, biochemical, and physiologic), as a result of the interaction of its genotype and its environment.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET): It is a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues
Recombinant genes: A novel gene sequence formed by the combination of two non-homologous DNA molecules.
Syndrome: A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition
Ultrasound: A procedure in which sound waves (called ultrasound) are bounced off tissues and the echoes are converted to a picture.
Xenobiotics: Chemical substances that are foreign to the biological system. They include naturally occurring compounds, drugs, environmental agents, carcinogens, insecticide, etc