Acupuncture
System of placing needles at specific points throughout the body to reduce pain, relieve stress, or alleviate other symptoms.

Acute pain
Short lasting pain, often recurring, but only lasting for short durations.

Adjuvent therapy
Additional treatment to the primary treatment offered to a cancer patient.  For example if chemotherapy was a primary therapy, radiotherapy would be an adjuvent therapy.

Air-borne asbestos
Form of asbestos that enters the air and can be easily inhaled.

Amosite
Form of asbestos in the amphibole class.  This form is also known as brown asbestos.  It has lost its importance in the industrial world because of its carcinogenic properties.

Amphibole
Subgroup of the asbestos minerals (one of two).  These include actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and tremolite.

Anemia
Condition, often related to cancer, in which the levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells are at a irregular(lower than normal) level.

Anesthetic
Medically used substance that causes a loss of feeling and awareness.  General anesthesia puts a person completely to sleep while local anesthesia targets a specific area of the body.

Angiogenesis Inhibitor
Substance that stops the growth of blood vessels that suround a tissue or tumor.

Anxiety
A series of feelings including discomfort, fear, apprehension, and nervousness.  Often physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, sweats, and chest pain accompany anxiety.  Anxiety often is associated with many medical and pstchiatric disorders.

Asbestos
Non-combustable, chemical-resistant, material formed of impure magnesium silicate.  A well known material for its insulating and fire-proof qualites.  Very carcinogenic.

Asbestos Fibers
The most common fibers found in processed asbestos are amosite, crocidolite and chrysotile.

Asbestosis
A lung disease(non-cancerous) cause by inhaling the dangerous asbestos fibers.  The tissues are torn by the fibers causing scaring.  The lungs then become stiff and do not work properly.

Ascites
Condition that comes from peritoneal mesothelioma.  Fluid builds within the peritoneal space of the abdomen.

Aspiration
Removing a tissue and/or fluid from a specific area of the body.