Imaging: Tests that produce pictures of areas inside the body.

Immune System: The complex group of organs and cells that defends the body against infection or disease.

Immunity: The body's ability to fight infection or disease.

Immunodeficiency: A lowering of the body's ability to fight off infection and disease.

Immunology: A science that deals with the study of the body's immune system.

Immunosuppression: A condition when the body’s natural immune system responses have been weakened or are prevented from working. Immunosuppression may be deliberate, such as in preparation for stem cell transplantation to prevent rejection of the new stem cells by the recipient’s immune system; or a side effect that often results from chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.

Immunotherapy: A treatment that stimulates the body's immune system to fight cancer. Alternatively, antibody or cells administered to patients that have direct or indirect anti-cancer effects.

Incidence: The number of new cases of a disease diagnosed each year.

Incision: A cut made in the body during surgery.

Induction Therapy: The initial course of chemotherapy given to patients after being diagnosed with cancer. The goal of induction therapy is to induce a remission.

Infectious Disease Markers: Elements, generally in the form of antibodies, in a person's blood which indicate if a person has had an infectious disease.

Infectious Disease Testing: The method to determine if a person has or did have an infectious disease. Potential stem cell donors have infectious disease testing done at the time of confirmatory typing. Infectious disease testing is also done on all potential stem cell donors during the workup phase at their physical examination. These tests must be repeated within 30 days of the donation.

Infertility: Inability to produce children.

Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma: The most common type of breast cancer. This cancer begins in the milk duct and grows through the wall to spread into the surrounding tissue.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A rare but aggressive type of breast cancer. These cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. The breast becomes red, swollen, and warm, and the skin of the breast may appear pitted or have ridges.

Informed Consent: The process by which a patient receives a written explanation of the risks and benefits to a medical treatment involving research, so they can make an informed decision on whether or not to participate. If a patient chooses to participate, they will indicate in writing that they understand and agree to the information provided. The written document used in this process is called a consenting document. The consenting document has been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board or human use committee to ensure that it accurately reflects what the research protocol states will be done and is understandable to the average lay-person. A person must be at least 18 years of age before they can provide informed consent.

In Situ: Cancer in an early, superficial stage of development when the cancer cells are still confined to the site where they began.

Interferon: A natural body protein produced by normal cells. Interferon is capable of killing cancer cells or stopping their growth. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology and used as a form of immunotherapy.

Interleukins: A group of natural, hormone-like substances that are made in the body by lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Interleukins may increase the activity of cells in the immune system that normally recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Interstitial Pneumonia: Inflammation of the lung tissue, often caused by a virus or chemo- / radiation- therapy.

Intravenous: Into a vein.

Invasive Cancer: Cancer which has spread to healthy tissue next to the tumor’s site of origin