Glossary

General Cancer Terms

Diagnosis and Treatment

• ANC (absolute neutrophil count)
  • An absolute neutrophil count measures how many neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, are present in the blood. ANCs are used to check for infection, inflammation, leukemia, or other conditions. Chemotherapy may reduce ANC levels. Lower ANC levels increases the risk of getting an infection.
• Biopsy
  • A biopsy is the examination of tissue removed from the body to determine any abnormalities.
• Bone marrow transplant (BMT)
  • A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy blood stem cells. A bone marrow transplant may be used to safely allow high doses of chemotherapy or radiation, replace damaged marrow caused by treatment, or provide new stem cells which can help kill cancer directly.
• Bone scan
  • A bone scan is a nuclear imaging test that can diagnose or track bone disease that cannot be seen on a standard x-ray.
• Brain scan
  • Brain scans are used to identify any changes or abnormalities to the brain’s structure or function using an MRI or CT scan.
• Broviac catheter (indwelling catheter)
  • A broviac catheter is a soft, flexible tube that is tunneled under the skin of the chest and inserted into a large vein near the heart. One or two smaller tubes with caps (called lumens) stay outside of the body and provides easy access to the blood stream without needle sticks.
• CBC (complete blood count)
  • A complete blood count test measures several components and features of a patient’s blood including red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets. Blood counts are used to review overall health, diagnose a medical condition, monitor a medical condition, or monitor medical treatment.
• Central line
  • A central line is a tube placed in a large vein in the neck used to put medicines, nutrients, or fluids right into the patient’s blood. They are often used to give chemotherapy treatment.
• Chemotherapy
  • Chemotherapy is a powerful medication used to treat cancer by killing cancer cells or preventing them from growing. The drug(s) may be given orally or intravenously. Combination therapy is when more than once cancer drug is used at one time. Chemotherapy medications attack rapidly growing cancer cells but can also affect healthy cells, which often causes side effects.
• CT scan
  • A CT scan uses special x-rays to obtain images from different angles around the body. The information is processed to show a cross-section view of body tissue and organs. This type of imaging can show bones and surrounding tissues such as muscles and blood vessels with great clarity.
• I-Med (IV pump)
  • An I-Med or IV pump is an infusion pump and controller that provides an accurate and automatic infusion of drugs or other fluids.
• Immunotherapy / gene therapy
  • Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses a person’s immune system to treat cancer by stimulating their own immune system to work harder or giving the immune system components to fight the disease.
• In situ (non-invasive cancer)
  • In situ is an early stage of cancer in which the cancer stays confined to the site where it originated and has not spread to surrounding tissue in the body.
• Invasive cancer
  • Invasive cancer means that the cancer has spread beyond its originating site to neighboring, healthy tissue.
• Late effects
  • The treatments that help children survive cancer may also cause health problems later on, called late effects. The side effects of treatment that occur or persist after treatment happens to many cancer survivors.
• Localized cancer
  • Localized cancer refers to cancer that is found in the tissue or organ where it began and has not spread to surrounding tissue.
• Lumbar puncture (LP) (aka spinal tap)
  • A lumbar puncture is the procedure of withdrawing cerebrospinal fluid from the spine in the lower back through a hollow needle. The fluid collected is tested for cancer cells or infection. A lumbar puncture may also be performed to inject medication into the spine.
• Metastasis
  • Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells to new areas of the body.
• MRI
  • MRI scans provide highly detailed pictures of soft tissue within the body, such as muscles and ligaments.
• NED (no evidence of disease)
  • NED is a term used when examinations or tests reveal no signs of cancer in someone who has been treated for cancer. This does not mean that the disease has been cured.
• NG tube (nasogastric tube)
  • A nasogastric tube is a thin, plastic tube that goes through the nostril, down the esophagus, into the stomach. The tube is used to give food and medication or remove contents from the stomach.
• Palliative care
  • Palliative care is specialized medical care that is focused on providing relief from symptoms and stress of a serious illness such as cancer. The goal is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
• PET scan
  • A PET scan is an imaging technique that uses a small amount of a radioactive tracer to produce images showing how the body is functioning. A non-harmful tracer is injected into the patient the collects in active areas inside the body, such as cancer cells. PET scans are most useful for providing information on the many stages of the cancer process from diagnosis to treatment evaluation.
• Portacath
  • A portacath is an implanted device that sits under the skin in the chest. It has a tube attached that is threaded into a large vein above the heart. A needle is inserted into the skin to draw blood or directly give fluids. A portacath may stay in for weeks or months to help avoid repeated needle sticks.
• Primary cancer
  • Primary cancer refers to the original site (organ or tissue) where the cancer began.
• Proton beam therapy
  • Proton beam therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses protons rather than x-rays to treat cancer. A machine is used to deliver high-energy protons through the skin and give a targeted radiation dose to the tumor. Since proton beam therapy is more targeted, it does less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
• Radiation therapy / radiotherapy
  • Radiation therapy treats cancer by using high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. In low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see the structures inside your body. External beam radiation therapy uses beams targets a specific area of the body. Internal radiation therapy is radiation given internally through an IV or injection.
• Recurrence
  • Is the same as relapse just another name for it. When few of the original cancer cells survive the original treatment and the cancer or tumor comes back.
• Refractory
  • Refractory cancer means the cancer does not respond to treatment at the beginning or becomes resistant during treatment.
• Regimen
  • A regimen is a systematic plan designed to improve and maintain the health of a patient.
• Relapse
  • When few of the original cancer cells survive the original treatment and the cancer or tumor come back.
• Remission
  • A cancer is in remission when it can no longer be detected.
• Secondary cancer
  • Secondary cancers may be defined as a new cancer in another region of the body or the spread of cancer cells from the primary cancer to another part of the body.
• Surgical resection
  • A surgical resection is a procedure to remove tumors or other tissue in the body.
• Targeted therapy
  • Researchers are learning about what makes the inner workings of cancer cells different than normal cells and uses that information to develop drugs that specifically target diseased cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
• Toxicity
  • Toxicity is the degree to which a substance (such as chemotherapy) can be harmful to patients.
• Ultrasound
  • An ultrasound is a scan that uses sound waves to build a picture of the organs and structures inside the body. This scan can be used to detect problems in the liver, heart, kidney, and other organs or be used to evaluate a developing fetus.
• X-ray
  • An x-ray uses electromagnetic waves to produce an image of the internal composition of the body, such as bones, tissue and organs.

Research

• Antibody
  • Is a blood protein that responds to antigens in the body trying to get rid of antigens.
• Antigen
  • Is something that is toxic or a foreign substance that the body does not like, and the immune system is activated by antibodies.
• Chromosome
  • A structure of nucleic acids and proteins that are found in the nucleus. They carry genetic information in the form of genes.
• Clinical trial
  • A clinical trial is a research study that involves patients. Information from the study may be used to learn more about diagnosing an illness, treatment options and their outcomes, controlling symptoms, or improving a patient’s quality of life.
  • Phase 0
    • Phase 0 is exploring and seeing how the drug works and is done on humans.
  • Phase I
    • Phase I is making sure to see if the treatment is safe.
  • Phase II
    • Phase II is making sure to see if the treatment is working.
  • Phase III
    • Phase III is to decide if it is already better than what is already available
• Control group
  • An individual in a healthcare experiment that did not receive any treatment in order to see if it is effective in the people that are being treated.
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
  • Is a self-replacing material that is present in most organisms. It is the carrier of genetic information.
• Gene
  • Is part of a chromosome which is transferred down from parent to offspring.
• Growth factor
  • A substance such as hormones, which is needed for stimulation for the growth in living cells.
• Hormone
  • Its specific function is to stimulate specific cells or tissues into action.
• In vitro / in vivo
  • In vitro is a process of that takes place in a test tube or anywhere else outside of a living organism.
  • In vivo is a process that takes place in a living organism.
• Oncogene
  • A gene that can turn into a tumor in certain circumstances.
• Stem cells
  • Stem cells are types of cells that can divide into more cells or become any type of cell in the body.
• Tumor markers
  • Is a marker that is found in the blood or urine which shows if a tumor is present or not.