Medical Terminology: Lymphatic & Immune Systems

Study Notes

Lymph: A fluid that helps remove waste products, pathogens, and dead blood cells.
Lymphatic Vessels and Ducts: Network of capillaries, vessels, and ducts that return lymph from tissues to the venous bloodstream.

Lymph Nodes: Organs that filter pathogens and harmful substances from lymph using specialized immune cells.
Tonsils and Adenoids: Lymphatic tissues that guard the entry points to the respiratory system, helping to trap pathogens.
Spleen: A sac-like mass of lymphoid tissue that plays critical roles in both the immune and lymphatic systems.
Bone Marrow: Tissue responsible for producing lymphocytes, which are specialized white blood cells essential for immune response.

Lymphocytes: A type of white blood cell mainly produced in bone marrow that plays a vital role in the immune system.
Thymus: An upper chest gland where lymphocytes mature into T-cells, essential for adaptive immunity.

Anti-: Prefix meaning "against," commonly used in medical terminology.
Carcin/o: Refers to carcinogens, substances that can lead to cancer development.
Immun/o: Indicates concepts related to immunity and protection.
Lymph/o: Pertains to lymph and lymphatic tissue.
Lymphaden/o: Refers specifically to lymph nodes or glands.
Lymphangi/o: Relates to lymph vessels, important for lymph transport.
Neo-, Ne/o: Prefixes meaning "new" or "strange," often used to describe abnormal growths or conditions.
-oma: Suffix meaning tumor or neoplasm, indicating abnormal mass development.
Onc/o: Pertains to tumors, often linked to cancerous growths.
Phag/o: Means to eat or swallow, often in context with immune cells engulfing pathogens.
-plasm: Denotes formative material of cells, essential in tissue formation.
Sarc/o: Refers to flesh or connective tissue, often in discussions of tumors or pathologies.
-tic: Suffix meaning "pertaining to," used to describe conditions related to the root word.
Tox/o: Indicates poison or poisonous effects, significant in various medical contexts.