| A | B |
|---|
| Adenocarcinoma | Cancerous tumor of glandular tissue; solid tumor derived from epithelial tissue |
| Angiogenesis | Formation of blood vessels |
| Acid phosphatase | Enzyme found in high concentration in the blood of patients with prostate cancer |
| Adjuvant therapy | Assisting primary treatment; drugs are given early in the course of treatment, along with surgery or radiation to attack cancer cells that may be too small to be detected by diagnostic techniques |
| Alkylating agents | Synthetic compounds containing two or more chemical groups called alkyl groups that interfere with DNA synthesis |
| Alveolar | Pertaining to tumor growth in small microscopic sacs (descriptive of connective tissue tumors--sarcomas); commonly found in tumors of muscle, bone, fat, and cartilage |
| Anaplasia | Reversion of cells to a more embryonic, primitive type (as happens in malignancy); loss of differentiation of cells |
| Antiobiotics | Chemical substances, produced by bacteria or fungi, that bind to the DNA and RNA in a cell, thus inhibiting the growth of cells; used in cancer chemotherapy |
| Antimetabolites | Chemicals that prevent cell division by inhibiting the formation of substances necessary to make DNA; used in cancer chemotherapy |
| Apoptosis | Programmed cell death; normal cells undergo apoptosis when they are damaged or aging; some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo apoptosis and live forever |
| Aspiration | Suction |
| Benign | Noncancerous |
| Biological response modifiers | Substances produced by normal cells that either directly block tumor growth or stimulate the immune system |
| Biological therapy | Treatment using the body's own defense mechanisms to fight tumor cells |
| Bone marrow biopsy | A small amount of bone marrow tissue is aspirated and examined under the microscope for evidence of cancerous cells |
| Cachexia | General ill health and malnutrition associated with chronic disease |
| Carcinoma | Cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin |
| Carcinogen | Agent that causes cancer (includes chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses); chemical carcinogens include hydrocarbons and insecticides |
| Carcinoma in situ | Referring to localized tumor cells that have not invaded adjacent structures; cancer of the cervix may begin as carcinoma in situ |
| Cellular oncogenes | Pieces of DNA that, when broken or dislocated, can cause a normal cell to become malignant |
| Chemotherapy | Treatment of cancer using drugs |
| Combination chemotherapy | The use of two or more chemotherapeutic agents together in the treatment of tumors |
| Cryosurgery | Destruction of tissue using cold temperatures; often used to treat brain and bladder tumors |
| Cystic tumors | Tumors formed with large open spaces filled with fluid; most often found in the ovaries |
| Differentiation | Specialization of cells |
| Dedifferentiation | Loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive, embryonic cell type; anaplasia |
| Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | Genetic material within the nucleus of a cell; controls cell division (replication) and protein synthesis |
| Diffuse | Spreading evenly throughout the affected tissue |
| Dysplastic | Pertaining to abnormal growth of cells but not clearly cancerous; dysplastic nevi (moles on skin) are an example |
| Electrocauterization | Burning tissue to destroy it; often used in treating tumors of the rectum and colon |
| Electron beams | Low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors |
| En bloc resection | Tumor is removed along with a large area of surrounding tissue containing lymph nodes |
| Encapsulated | Surrounded by a capsule; benign tumors are encapsulated |
| Epidermoid | Resembling squamous epithelial tissue (tumors that arise from aberrant epidermal cells); often occurring in the respiratory tract |
| Excisional biopsy | Removal of tumor and a margin of normal tissue; provides a specimen for diagnosis and may be curative for small tumors |
| Estrogen (estradiol) Receptor Assay | Measures the concentration of estrogen receptor sites in tumor cells of breast cancer patients; if a tumor is found to be estrogen receptor positive, a patient will likely respond to antiestrogen hormone therapy |
| Exenteration | A wide resection involving removal of the tumor, its organ of origin, and all surrounding tissue in the body space, such as in the pelvis |
| Exfoliative cytology | Cells are scraped from the region of suspected disease and examined under the microscope; Papanicolaou test is an example |
| Fibrosarcoma | Malignant tumor of fiber-producing cells (flesh or connective tissue origin) |
| Follicular | Pertaining to microscopic description of tumor growth in small, gland-type sacs; thyroid gland cancer is an example |
| Fractionation | A method of giving radiation in small, repeated doses rather than a few large doses; allows larger total doses to be given with less damage to normal tissue |
| Fulguration | Destruction of tissue by electric sparks generated by a high-frequency current |
| Fungating tumor | Mushrooming pattern of growth in which tumor cells pile one on top of another and project from the tissue surface; tumors often found in the colon |
| Grading of tumors | Evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells (Grades I to IV); patients with Grade I tumors have a high survival rate |
| Gross description of tumors | Visual appearance of tumors: cystic, fungating, inflammatory, medullary, necrotic, polypoid, ulcerating, and verrucous |
| Hyperplasia | Condition of increased growth of cells (in numbers) |
| Incisional biopsy | A piece of tumor is removed for examination to establish a diagnosis; other forms of treatment, such as chemotherapy or x-ray, may then be used to treat the bulk of the tumor |
| Infiltrative | Extending beyond normal tissue boundaries |
| Inflammatory | Having the features of inflammation; that is, redness, swelling, and heat; these tumors characteristically occur in the breast |
| Invasive | Having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue |
| Linear accelerator | A large electronic device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors |
| Lymphangiography | Contrast dye is injected into the lymphatic vessels of the feet, and x-rays are taken of the lymphatic system to detect enlarged lymph nodes, blockage of the lymphatic system, and the presence of tumors |
| Malignant | Tending to become worse and result in death; tumors having the characteristics of invasiveness, anaplasia, and metastasis |
| Medullary tumors | Large, soft, flesh tumors; thyroid and breast cancers may be medullary |
| Metastasis | Beyond control; the spread of a malignant tumor from its original location to a distant site |
| Metaplasia | Abnormal transformation of adult differentiated cells to differentiated tissue of another kind |
| Microscopic description (of tumors) | The appearance of tumors as seen under the microscope: alveolar, carcinoma in situ, diffuse, dysplastic, epidermoid, follicular, nodular, papillary, pleomorphic, scirrhous, undifferentiated |
| Mitosis | Replication of cells; a stage in the cell life cycle involving the production of two identical cells from a parent cell |
| Mesenchymal tissue | Embryonic connective tissue from which sarcomas are derived; the middle, or mesodermal, layer of the embryo gives rise to the connective tissues of the body as well as to blood and lymphatic vessels |
| Modality | Method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation |
| Morbidity | The condition of being diseased; the degree of residual normal cell damage as a side effect of the destruction of a tumor |
| Mucinous tumors | Tumors containing mucus (thick, sticky fluid) |
| Mutagenic | Pertaining to producing mutation--producing change in the DNA of a cell |
| Mutation | Change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell; may be caused by chemicals, radiation, or viruses or may occur spontaneously |
| Necrotic tumor | Tumor containing dead tissue; any type of tumor can outgrow its blood supply and undergo necrosis |
| Neoplasm | New growth (benign or malignant tumor) |
| Neuroblastoma | Cancerous tumor of embryonic nervous tissue; a sarcoma composed of neuroblasts and affecting infants and children up to 10 years old; the tumor usually arises in the autonomic nervous system |
| Nodular | Forming multiple areas of tightly packed clusters of cells with lightly populated areas in between; malignant lymphomas may display a nodular pattern of lymph node involvement |
| Oncogene | A region of DNA (genetic material) found in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses that cause cancer (viral oncogene); oncogenes are designated by a three-letter word, such as abl, erb, jun, myc, ras, and src |
| Oncology | Study of tumors |
| Osteosarcoma | Malignant tumor (flesh tissue) of bone |
| Papillary | Pertaining to tumors that grow in small, nipple-like or finger-like patterns; bladder cancer may be described as papillary |
| Pedunculated | Possessing a stem or stalk; characteristic of some polypoid tumors |
| Pap smear | Papanicolaou smear; screening test of the uterine cervix |
| Plant derivatives | Chemical drugs derived from plants; used frequently in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents |
| Peritoneoscopy | Procedure used to inspect the abdominal cavity for tumors; also called laparoscopy |
| Pharmacokinetics | Study of the distribution and removal of drugs in the body over a period of time |
| Pleomorphic | Pertaining to tumors that contain a variety of types of cells; mixed cell tumors are examples |
| Polypoid tumors | Tumors that grow as projections extending outward from a base; both benign and malignant tumors of the colon may grow as polyps |
| Protocol | An explicit, detailed plan for treatment |
| Radiation | Energy carried by a stream of particles; various forms of radiation can cause cancer |
| Radiocurable tumor | Tumor that can be completely eradicated by radiation therapy; usually localized tumors with no evidence of metastasis; lymphomas and Hodgkin disease are examples |
| Radionuclide scans | Radioactive substances are injected intravenously and pictures (scans) are taken of the organs in question |
| Radioresistant tumor | Tumor that requires large doses of radiation to produce death of cells; the high doses of radiation may have a damaging effect on surrounding normal tissues; connective tissue tumors are the most radioresistant |
| Radiosensitive tumor | Tumor in which irradiation can cause death of cells without serious damage to surrounding normal tissue; tumors of hematopoietic and lymphatic origins are radiosensitive |
| Radiosensitizers | Drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays |
| Radiotherapy | Treatment using radiation |
| Relapse | Return to symptoms of disease |
| Remission | Absence of symptoms of disease |
| Retinoblastoma | Tumor of the retina of the eye (embryonic cells); congenital and hereditary tumor |
| Ribonucleic acid | Cellular substance (located within and outside the nucleus) that, along with DNA, plays an important role in the synthesis of proteins in a cell |
| Sarcoma | Cancerous tumor derived from connective tissue |
| Osteogenic sarcoma | A cancerous tumor derived from bone |
| Scirrhous | Pertaining to hard, densely packed tumors, overgrown with fibrous tissue; often found in breast or stomach cancers; scirrhous means hard |
| Serous tumors | Tumors containing a thin, watery fluid resembling serum |
| Sessile | Having no stem; characteristic of some polypoid tumors |
| Solid tumor | Tumor composed of mass of cells |
| Surgical procedures to treat cancer | Cryosurgery, electrocauterization, en block resection, excisional biopsy, exenteration, fulguration, incisional biopsy |
| Staging laparotomy | Wide surgical incision of the abdomen that allows the physician to explore the abdominal cavity to determine the extent of malignant disease |
| Staging of tumors | System of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors; an example is the TNM system (tumor, nodes, and metastasis) |
| Steroids | Complex, naturally occurring chemicals, such as hormones, that are used as chemotherapeutic agents |
| Ulcerating tumor | Characterized by an open, exposed surface resulting from death of overlying tissue; often found in the stomach, breast, colon, and skin |
| Ultraviolet radiation | Rays given off by the sun |
| Undifferentiated | Lacking microscopic structures typical of normal mature cells |
| Verrucous tumor | Resembling a wart-like growth; tumors of the gingiva/cheek are frequently verrucous |
| Viral oncogenes | Pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant |
| Virus | An infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host's genetic material to make copies of itself |
| Prostate Specific Antigen | A protein produced by prostate cancer cells and found in the bloodstream |
| bx | biopsy |
| Ca | cancer |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid |
| PSA | prostate specific antigen |
| TNM | tumor, nodes, metastases |
| XRT | radiation therapy |
| NED | no evidence of disease |
| Ga | gallium |
| RNA | ribonucleic acid |
