This glossary provides clear explanations of important medical terms related to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care. From adenoma to zoledronic acid, it covers a wide range of terms in an accessible manner, helping patients and their families better understand the complexities of cancer. Whether you're learning about biomarkers, chemotherapy, or genetic testing, this comprehensive resource aims to empower individuals with knowledge as they navigate their cancer journey.
- Adenoma: A type of non-cancerous (benign) tumor that starts in the gland-like cells of your body's tissues. It's not cancer, but some adenomas can become cancer over time.
- Adjuvant Therapy: Treatment given after the primary treatment to increase the chances of a cure. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.
- Angiogenesis: The process by which new blood vessels form. Cancer cells can cause this to happen to bring more blood to themselves, helping them grow and spread.
- Benign: A term used to describe tumors that are not cancerous. Benign tumors can grow but do not spread to other parts of the body.
- Biomarker: Substances in the body that can be measured to provide information about your health, including the presence or progress of disease, like cancer.
- Biopsy: A medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination under a microscope to check for signs of cancer or other diseases.
- BRCA1 and BRCA2: Genes that produce proteins responsible for repairing damaged DNA. Mutations in these genes can increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
- CAR-T therapy, or Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, is a type of immunotherapy that uses specially altered T cells – a part of the immune system – to fight cancer. In this treatment, T cells are taken from a patient's blood and modified in a laboratory to produce special structures called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on their surface. These CARs are designed to recognize and attach to specific proteins (antigens) on the surface of cancer cells. Once the modified T cells are infused back into the patient, they multiply and go on to recognize, attack, and destroy cancer cells.
- Carcinogen: Any substance or exposure that can lead to cancer
- Carcinoma: A type of cancer that starts in the skin or the tissue lining or covering internal organs.
- Chemotherapy: A type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing.
- Cytology: The study of cells under a microscope to look for signs of disease.
- Cachexia: A syndrome characterized by weight loss, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite in someone not actively trying to lose weight. It is common in advanced cancer stages.
- Carcinogenesis: The process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells.
- Cryosurgery: A treatment that uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, including cancer cells.
- Dysplasia: A term used to describe cells that look abnormal under a microscope but are not cancer. Dysplasia can sometimes turn into cancer.
- DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.
- Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS): A non-invasive cancer where abnormal cells are found in the lining of a breast duct but have not spread outside the duct to other tissues in the breast.
- Endoscopy: A procedure that uses a special flexible tube with a light and camera (endoscope) to look inside the body's cavities and organs.
- Epigenetics: The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. Epigenetic changes can be influenced by several factors including age, the environment/lifestyle, and disease state.
- Erythropoietin: A hormone produced by the kidney that promotes the formation of red blood cells by the bone marrow. It's sometimes used to treat anemia in cancer patients.
- Familial Cancer: Cancer that occurs more frequently in certain families than is expected by chance alone. These cancers may be caused by inherited genetic mutations, shared environmental factors, or a combination of these.
- Genetic Testing: Tests on blood and other tissue to find genetic disorders. In cancer, genetic tests can be used to identify inherited genes that might increase the risk of developing the disease.
- Glioma: A type of tumor that occurs in the brain and spinal cord, originating from glial cells.
- Hematology: The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood, including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
- Histology: The study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
- Hormone Therapy: Treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells that need hormones to grow.
- Hyperplasia: An increase in the number of cells in a tissue or organ, which can sometimes lead to cancer.
- Immunotherapy: A type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer.
- In situ: Refers to cancer that has not spread from the original tissue. This is also called non-invasive cancer.
- Invasive Cancer: Cancer that has spread beyond the layer of tissue in which it developed and is growing into surrounding, healthy tissues.
- JAK/STAT Pathway: A group of proteins in a cell that communicates signals from the cell's exterior to its nucleus. This pathway can be involved in processes leading to cancer.
- Jaundice: A condition in which the skin, whites of the eyes and mucous membranes turn yellow because of a high level of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment. Jaundice has various causes, including liver cancer.
- Kinase Inhibitor: A type of targeted therapy that blocks a specific enzyme (kinase), which can help stop cancer cells from growing.
- Kaposi Sarcoma: A type of cancer that forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels. The tumors usually appear as purple spots on the skin and can affect other organs, including the mouth, lungs, and digestive tract.
- Laparoscopy: A surgical diagnostic procedure used to examine the organs inside the abdomen. It's a low-risk, minimally invasive procedure that requires only small incisions
- Leukemia: A type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
- Lymphoma: A type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's immune system.
- Mammography: An x-ray picture of the breast used to screen for breast cancer. Mammograms can detect tumors that are too small to feel.
- Malignant: A term for cancerous tumors, which can grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.
- Metastasis: The spread of cancer from where it started to another part of the body.
- Microenvironment: The environment around a tumor, including the surrounding blood vessels, immune cells, and other cells.
- Neoplasm: Another word for a tumor, which may be benign or malignant.
- Neoadjuvant Therapy: Treatment given as a first step to shrink a tumor before the main treatment, which is usually surgery.
- Neutropenia: Neutropenia is a condition characterized by an abnormally low count of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in fighting infections. Neutropenia is a common side effect of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, because these treatments can damage the bone marrow's ability to produce white blood cells.
- Oncogene: A gene that has the potential to cause cancer.
- Oncology: The branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
- Oophorectomy: Surgical removal of one or both ovaries. It's sometimes done to prevent or treat ovarian cancer.
- Precision Medicine: An approach to patient care that allows doctors to select treatments that are most likely to help patients based on a genetic understanding of their disease.
- Palliative Care: Care that focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, including cancer, to improve quality of life.
- Pathology: The study of disease by examining tissues and fluids under a microscope.
- PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography Scan): A test that uses a special dye containing radioactive tracers to look for disease in the body. A PET scan can sometimes detect cancer before it shows up on other imaging tests.
- Prognosis: The likely course and outcome of a disease, including chances of recovery.
- Quality of Life: An individual's overall well-being and personal satisfaction with life, especially when undergoing medical treatment.
- Radiosurgery: A treatment method that uses precise, focused radiation beams to destroy tumors, often in the brain, without needing actual surgery.
- Radiation Therapy: A cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- Radionuclide Therapy, also known as radioisotope therapy or nuclear medicine therapy, involves using small amounts of radioactive substances to treat cancer. These radioactive substances can be administered into the body by injection, ingestion, or placement within a body cavity, and they travel to specific sites, such as cancer cells or areas of bone metastasis. Once at the target site, they emit radiation, which kills cancer cells with minimal harm to surrounding healthy tissue.
- Remission: A period during which the signs and symptoms of cancer are reduced or disappear.
- Sarcoma: A type of cancer that starts in the bones and in the soft (connective) tissues of the body.
- Screening: Checking for disease when there are no symptoms.
- Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: A surgical procedure used to determine if cancer has spread beyond a primary tumor into the lymphatic system.
- Staging: A process of finding out how much cancer is in the body and where it is located.
- Targeted Therapy: Cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack cancer cells, usually while doing little damage to normal cells.
- Thrombocytopenia is a medical condition characterized by an abnormally low level of platelets in the blood. When the platelet count is low, even a minor injury can lead to excessive bleeding, or bleeding may occur spontaneously with no apparent cause.
- Tumor: A mass of tissue that forms when cells grow uncontrollably. A tumor can be benign or malignant (cancerous)
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- Tumor Marker: Substances, often proteins, produced by cancer cells or by the body in response to cancer, which can be found in the blood, urine, or tissue. They can help diagnose and monitor cancer.
- Ultrasound: A test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of the body. It can help find tumors.
- Urology: A branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the male and female urinary-tract system and the male reproductive organs. Urologists often treat cancers of the bladder, kidneys, prostate, and testicles.
- Vasculature: The arrangement or system of blood vessels in an organ or tissue. Tumors can create their own vasculature through angiogenesis.
- Vaccine Therapy: A type of treatment that uses substances known as vaccines to stimulate the body's immune response to fight diseases like cancer.
- Virotherapy: A treatment using biotechnology to convert viruses into therapeutic agents by reprogramming viruses to treat diseases.
- Wig: A head covering made from real or synthetic hair. Wigs are often used by cancer patients who lose their hair during treatment.
- Whole Genome Sequencing: A laboratory process that determines the complete DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a single time. This can be used to identify genetic mutations that may cause cancer.
- X-ray: A type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body, which can help find tumors.
- Xenograft: A transplant of tissue or organs from one species to another; used in research to study cancer and test new treatments.
- Yttrium-90: A radioactive substance used in cancer treatment, especially for certain types of targeted radiation therapy.
- Zoledronic Acid: A drug used to treat bone diseases, including those that occur with cancer, by slowing down the breakdown of bone.
This glossary aims to demystify medical jargon, making itmore accessible to patients and their families as they navigate through cancerdiagnosis, treatment, and care.
