Term
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Definition
| Removal of a body part or the destruction of its function |
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Term
| ANC absolute neutrophil count |
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Definition
| The actual count of the neutrophils in the blood |
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Term
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Definition
| a combination of physical and psychological compulsive and maladaptive dependence on a substance |
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Term
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Definition
| a malignant neoplasm of epithelial cells arising from glandular tissue or in which the cancer cells form recognizable glandular structures |
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Term
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Definition
| a therapy that aids another |
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Term
| ACTH Adrenocorticotropic hormone |
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Definition
| a hormone secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland that has a stimulating effect on the adrenal cortex |
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Term
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Definition
| lack or loss of hair from skin areas where it is normally present |
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Term
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Definition
| below-normal concentration of circulating red blood cells or hemoglobin |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| an immunogloblulin produced by B lymphocytes in response to a unique antigen. It will combine with a specific antigen to control or destroy it. |
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Term
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Definition
| a protein or group of monosaccharide units on the surface of cells that identify each cell as self or foreign. They stimulate an immune response by producing antibodies or other sensitized cells of the immune system. |
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Term
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Definition
| Genes that inhibit tumor cell growth. Also referred to as tumor suppressor genes. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tumor of the brain or central nervous system composed of astrocytes. benign or malignant? |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the use of agents derived from biologic sources that enhance the immune response or assist in cancer treatment |
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Term
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Definition
| devices used in radiation therapy to prevent radiation beams from striking areas of the body that require shielding from treatment |
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Term
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Definition
| treatment with ionizing radiation, the source of which may be placed within the body or on the surface of the body |
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Term
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Definition
| a breast cancer susceptibility gene; found in a small number of patients with breast cancer and carried by some people who may develop breast cancer later in life |
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Term
| BSE breast self-examination |
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Definition
| visual and manual examination of the breast |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition of severe malnutrition, emaciation, and debility |
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Term
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Definition
| malignant neoplastic disease marked by the uncontrolled growth of cells |
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Term
| cancer of unknown primary |
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Definition
| inability to isolate the site of origin of cancer cells through diagnostic testing |
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Term
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Definition
| a substance that causes cancer or increases the risk of developing cancer |
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Term
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Definition
| process by which cancer occurs |
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Term
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Definition
| a malignant growth consisting of epithelial cells that tend to infiltrate surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases |
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Term
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Definition
| an epithelial tumor of the skin that seldom metastasizes but has the potential for local invasion and destruction; the most common form of skin cancer |
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Term
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Definition
| A neoplasm whose cells are localized in the epithelium and show no tendency to invade or metastasize to other tissues |
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Term
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Definition
| neoplastic cells arising from the squamous epithelium and having cuboid cells |
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Term
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Definition
| sequence of steps through which cells grow and replicate |
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Term
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Definition
| drugs that exert their effect during a particular phase of the cell cycle |
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Term
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Definition
| drugs that exert their effect on the cell without regard to a particular phase of the cell cycle |
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Term
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Definition
| the systemic treatment of illness by medication |
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Term
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Definition
| a malignant tumor derived from cartilage cells or their precursors |
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Term
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Definition
| rigorous evaluation to determine the effectiveness and safety of a specific intervention; the procedure by which new cancer treatments are tested in humans |
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Term
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Definition
| a radiologic imaging technique that produces images of "slices" |
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Term
| conformal radiation therapy |
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Definition
| optimal targeting of tumor cells with modern linear accelerators to more accurately shape beams that conform more closely to the size and shape of the tumor in order to minimize damage to collateral healthy tissue |
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Term
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Definition
| an agent capable of specific destructive action on, or lysis of, certain cells |
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Term
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Definition
| surgery to reduce tumor size/burden |
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Term
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Definition
| finding or discovering the existence of disease |
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Term
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Definition
| a concise, technical description of the cause, nature, or manifestations of a condition, situation, or problem |
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Term
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Definition
| fully matured cell; ready to perform the specific function unique to its cell type |
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Term
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Definition
| the act or process of having recognizable, specialized structures and functions |
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Term
| DRE digital rectal examination |
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Definition
| an examination of the rectum performed with the examiner's fingers |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the study of factors determining and influencing the frequency and distribution of disease |
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Term
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Definition
| highly malignant, metastatic, small round-cell, marrow-originating bone cancer seen primarily in children and adolescents |
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Term
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Definition
| escape from the blood vessel into the tissue; term used to describe chemotherapeutic agents escaping from a blood vessel into the surrounding tissue, resulting in tissue damage. |
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Term
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Definition
| testing a stool sample to determine the presence of hidden blood. |
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Term
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Definition
| a procedure using a hollow lighted tube to visually inspect the wall of the rectum and the distal colon |
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Term
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Definition
| divisions of the total dose of radiation into small doses given at intervals |
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Term
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Definition
| used in prostate cancer to determine the tumor grade through microscopic examination of biopsied tissue. A scale of 2-20. higher the #, the faster the cancer is likely to grow and the likelier it is to spread beyond the prostate |
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Term
|
Definition
| Astrocytoma grade III or IV; a rapidly growing tumor, usually of the cerebral hemispheres, composed of spongioblasts, astroblasts, and astrocytes |
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Term
|
Definition
| a tumor composed of neuroglia in any state of development |
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Term
|
Definition
| a qualitative assessment of the differentiation of tumor cells to the extent that tumor cells resemble the normal tissue at that site; expressed in numeric grades of differentiation from most differentiated to least differentiated |
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Term
| GVHD graft-versus-host disease |
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Definition
| a frequent complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation |
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Term
|
Definition
| a decrease in white blood cells |
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Term
|
Definition
| unit of absorbed radiation dose (100 rads) |
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Term
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Definition
| the formation and development of blood cells, which occurs mainly in the bone marrow |
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Term
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Definition
| examination of tissue dealing with the minute structure, composition, and function of tissues as seen through a microscope |
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Term
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Definition
| a specific type of lymphoma, differing from all other lymphomas in its predictability of spread, microscopic characteristics, and occurrence of extranodal tumors. The presence of the Reed-Sternberg cell is essential to the diagnosis |
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Term
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Definition
| an interdisciplinary program of palliative and supportive care that addresses the physical, spiritual, social, and psychologic needs of terminally ill patients and their families |
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Term
|
Definition
| excessive quantity of serum calcium. Weakness, confusion, and possible ventricular dysrhythmias are classic symptoms and require immediate intervention |
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Term
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Definition
| abnormal proliferation of normal cells in normal arrangements in a tissue type |
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Term
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Definition
| enlargement or overgrowth of an organ or body part due to an increase in size of its constituent cells |
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Term
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Definition
| the use of natural and synthetic substances to provide active and passive immunization |
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Term
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Definition
| the rate at which a certain event occurs, such as the number of new cases of a specific disease occurring within a specific population or group during a certain time period |
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Term
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Definition
| the number of new cases of cancer divided by the bumber of people in the population. The results are usually per 100,000 |
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Term
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Definition
| the initial chemotherapy regimen used in the treatment of leukemia, when the greatest number of leukemic cells are affected. The combination of drugs is designed to cause severe bone marrow depression and the goal of treatment is remission of the disease |
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Term
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Definition
| confined to the site of origin |
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Term
| IMRT intensity-modulated radiation therapy |
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Definition
| a newer radiation technique that facilitates shaping the intensity of the radiation beam to allow for more precise dose distribution around the target site |
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Term
| IORT intraoperative radiation |
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Definition
| specialized radiation technique used during surgery to treat cancers deep in the body with large, single doses while avoiding irradiation of normal tissues |
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Term
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Definition
| cytotoxic drugs injected into the cerebrospinal fluid, thereby bypassing the blood-brain barrier |
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Term
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Definition
| a progressive disease of the blood-forming organs, marked by distorted proliferation and development of leukocytes and their precursors in the blood and bone marrow. |
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Term
| ALL acute lymphocytic leukemia |
|
Definition
| most common type of pediatric leukemia; infiltration and accumulation of immature lymphoblasts occur within the bone marrow, as well as the extramedullary lymphatic tissue |
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Term
| AML acute myelocytic leukemia |
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Definition
| acute leukemia of the myelogenous type; affects mostly middle-aged to elderly individuals |
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Term
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Definition
| the development of white, thickened patches on the mucous membranes of the cheeks, gums, or tongue. Precancerous and can become malignant. |
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Term
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Definition
| surgical excision of one or more lymph nodes |
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Term
|
Definition
| any neoplastic disorder of the lymphoid tissue, including Hodgkin's disease |
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Term
|
Definition
| having the properties of anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis; referring to cancerous growths and tumors |
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Term
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Definition
| least common form of skin cancer; it starts in the cells that produce skin coloring and frequently metastasizes |
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Term
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Definition
| benign, slow-growing tumor that originates in the meninges, usually next to the dura mater; increased intercranial pressure is common |
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Term
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Definition
| secondary malignant lesions originating from the primary tumor but located in anatomically distant places. |
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Term
|
Definition
| formation of microscopic secondary tumors created by cancerous cells escaping into the lymphatic or vascular flow, where they can travel to distant sites |
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Term
|
Definition
| the number of deaths due to a disease |
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Term
|
Definition
| the death rate divided by population expressed per 100,000 |
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Term
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Definition
| inflammation of a mucous membrane |
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Term
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Definition
| a change in genetic material; usually occurs in one gene; the change is transmissible |
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Term
|
Definition
| a reduction in bone marrow function, resulting in a reduced release of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets into the peripheral circulation and/or a release of immature cells into the circulating blood |
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Term
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Definition
| the period of time when antineoplastic therapy has its most profound effects on the bone marrow; when the blood counts reach their lowest points |
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Term
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Definition
| preliminary cancer therapy that precedes a necessary second modality of treatment |
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Term
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Definition
| most common extracranial, solid malignant tumor in children; originates from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system, with primary sites in the mediastinal and retroperitoneal regions |
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Term
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Definition
| abnormally low number of white blood cells (neutrophils) in the blood |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| gene whose protein products may be involved in the processes of transformation of a normal cell to a malignant state |
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Term
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Definition
| natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic drugs that relieve pain by binding to opioid receptors in the nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| a cell arising from a fibroblast, which, as it matures, is associated with bone production |
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Term
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Definition
| most common primary bone cancer |
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Term
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Definition
| an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience from actual or potential tissue damage |
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Term
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Definition
| produced by a sudden illness or injury |
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Term
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Definition
| intermittent exacerbations of pain in patients receiving opioid therapy for chronic cancer |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
|
Definition
| a type of pain that occurs through abnormal processing of sensory input by the central or peripheral nervous system |
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Term
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Definition
| normal processing of stimuli from damage to normal tissues or from prolonged exposure to an agent that has the potential to damage normal tissue |
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Term
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Definition
| a felling of distress, suffering, or agony caused by the stimulation of nerve endings during a medical procedure |
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Term
| non-small cell carcinoma of the lung |
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Definition
| a broad term referring to all bronchogenic cancers that are not small cell; includes large-cell, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, and epidermoid lung cancers |
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Term
|
Definition
| accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac |
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Term
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Definition
| an abnormality of chromosome 22, characterized by shortening of its long arms. This chromosome is seen in the marrow cells of most patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the number of chromosome sets in a cell |
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Term
|
Definition
| the state of having a complete set of chromosomes |
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Term
|
Definition
| the state of having two full sets of chromosomes |
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Term
|
Definition
| the state of having an abnormal number of chromosomes |
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Term
|
Definition
| a cell with less than two full sets of chromosomes |
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Term
|
Definition
| a cell with more than two full sets of chromosomes |
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Term
|
Definition
| the cell that can generate all cell lineages in the bone marrow, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets |
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Term
|
Definition
| any growth or mass protruding from a mucous membrane. They are usually an overgrowth of normal tissue, but sometimes they are true tumors. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the percentage of persons with a positive screening test result who actually have cancer |
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Term
|
Definition
| the number of existing cases of a disease in a given population at a specific time |
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Term
|
Definition
| interventions aimed at protecting individuals from cancer before pathological changes have begun; includes both general health promotion and specific measures |
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Term
| prostate-specific antigen PSA |
|
Definition
| secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland; a tumor marker that has been used to monitor tumor activity of prostate carcinomas |
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Term
|
Definition
| genes in normal cells similar to viral-transforming genes. precursors to oncogenes |
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Term
|
Definition
| this technique uses high-energy radio waves to treat liver cancer |
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Term
|
Definition
| a type of atom that is radioactive and disentegrates with the emission of corpuscular or electromagnetic radiations; used in nuclear medicine scanning for diagnostic and evaluative purposes |
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Term
|
Definition
| a ratio comparing the rate of disease in exposed individuals with the rate of disease in unexposed individuals |
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Term
|
Definition
| the observed survival rate of cancer patients divided by the expected survival rate in the general population |
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Term
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Definition
| percentage of patients showing some evidence of improvement after an intervention |
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Term
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Definition
| a malignant, congenital hereditary blastoma composed of retinal cells arising from retinoblasts; usually occurs in children younger than 5 yo |
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Term
|
Definition
| the probability that an individual member of the population will develop or die of cancer in a given period of time; estimated by incidence and mortality rates |
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Term
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Definition
| an element of personal behavior, genetic make-up, or exposure to a known cancer-causing agent that increases a person's chances of developing a particular form of cancer |
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Term
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Definition
| a tumor that is often highly malignant, composed of cells derived from connective tissue, such as bone and cartilage, muscle, blood vessel, lymphoid tissue, and epithelial tissue. These tumors usually develop rapidly and metastasize through the lymph channels. |
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Term
|
Definition
| a malignant tumor of bone that arises in medullary tissue, occurring more often in cylindrical bones, with pain, fever, and leukocytosis as prominent symptoms |
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Term
|
Definition
| a sarcoma arising from collagen-producing fibroblasts |
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Term
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Definition
| malignant neoplastic vascular proliferation characterized by the development of bluish red cutaneous nodules, usually on the lower extremities, which spread slowly, increase in size and number, and spread to more proximal sites. |
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Term
|
Definition
| malignant primary tumor of the bone composed of a malignant connective tissue stroma with evidence of osteoid, bone, and/or cartilage formation |
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Term
|
Definition
| tests that are systematically applied to defined populations for the detection of early and asymptomatic disease |
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Term
|
Definition
| small capsule made of radioactive iodine, iridium, or gold implanted at the location of the tumor; most commonly used in the treatment of prostate cancer |
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Term
|
Definition
| Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Maintains the statistical database of cancer in the US |
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Term
|
Definition
| a malignant tumor of the testes thought to arise from the primordial germ cells of the sexually undifferentiated embryonic gonad; accounts for half of all testicular malignancies |
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Term
|
Definition
| the probability that a screening test will correctly classify an individual as positive for cancer when the individual has the disease |
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Term
| small-cell carcinoma of the lung |
|
Definition
| a radiosensitive tumor composed of small, undifferentiated cells; includes oat-cell, intermediate, and mixed carcinomas; accounts for 25% of all lung cancers |
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Term
|
Definition
| the probability that a person not having a disease will be correctly identified by a clinical/diagnostic test |
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Term
|
Definition
| pressure on the spinal cord by a tumor, causing a medical emergency that can lead to paraplegia, quadriplegia, loss of bowel and bladder function, and possibly death. Usually seen in cancers that have a tendency toward bony metastasis, such as breast cancer |
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Term
|
Definition
| the classification of the severity of disease in distinct stages on the basis of established criteria |
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Term
|
Definition
| percentage of people with no trace of disease within a specific time frame after diagnosis or treatment |
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Term
|
Definition
| an abnormally low quantity of platelets in the circulating blood |
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|
Term
| TENS transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation |
|
Definition
| mild electrical stimulation applied by electrodes in contact with the skin over a painful area |
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Term
|
Definition
| neoplasm; a new growth of tissue in which cell growth is uncontrolled and progressive |
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Term
|
Definition
| proteins in the body that may be present in abnormal amounts in the presence of certain cancers |
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Term
|
Definition
| destructive to cancer cells |
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Term
|
Definition
| also known as anti-oncogenes; genes coding for proteins that "turn off" malignant growth by masking the phenotypic expression of a mutation by suppressor at a different site that the first; the organism appears to be reverted but is actually doubly mutant |
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|
Term
| undifferentiated or anaplastic |
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Definition
| characterized by a loss of differentiation of cells, an irreversible alteration in adult cells toward more primitive cell types; a characteristic of cancer cells |
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Term
| vascular access device (VAD) |
|
Definition
| a device that provides intravascular access |
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Term
|
Definition
| a rapidly developing, malignant, mixed tumor of the kidneys; composed of embryonal elements; usually occurs before the age of 5 |
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Term
|
Definition
| dryness of the mouth from salivary gland dysfunction |
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Term
|
Definition
| a life-threatening condition in which the heart is compressed by the accumulation of blood or fluid in the pericardium, causing impaired filling of the heart during diastole. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the process of examining the vagina and cervix by means of a speculum and a magnifying lens |
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Term
|
Definition
| epidermal growth factor receptor 2 presence of too much of this protein on the surface of breast cancer cells signifies a more aggressive type of breast cancer |
|
|
Term
| CLL Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia |
|
Definition
| an adult-onset form of leukemia seen primarily in the elderly |
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|
Term
| CML Chronic myelocytic leukemia |
|
Definition
| Chronic leukemia of the myelogenous type primarily occurring between the ages of 25 and 60 yrs, consists of predominantly mature white blood cells |
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Term
|
Definition
| most common primary bone cancer |
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|
Term
| stereotactic radiosurgery |
|
Definition
| using a sterotactic frame to accurately deliver a high dose of ionizing radiation to a relatively small target area in one fraction |
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|
Term
| superior vena cava syndrome |
|
Definition
| an oncologic emergency that occurs when tumors of the superior mediastinum on the right obstruct the return of blood to the heart by the superior vena cava. |
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