|
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 chemicals containing alkyl groups that interferes with DNA
synthesis. |
|
Anaplasia |
Loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive cell
type. |
|
Antibiotics |
Chemicals that prevent cell division by inhibiting the formation of
substances necessary to make DNA; used in cancer chemotherapy. |
|
Apoptosis |
Programmed cell death. Apo-means off, away, and---ptosis means to fall.
Normal cells undergo apoptosis when they are damaged or aging. Some
cancer cells have lost Ability to undergo apoptosis and live-forever. |
|
Benign |
Noncancerous. |
|
Biological
response
modifiers |
Substances produced by normal cells that either directly block tumor
growth or stimulate the immune system. |
|
Biological therapy |
Use of the body’s own defense mechanisms to fight tumor cells. |
|
Carcinogens |
Agents that cause cancer, chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses. |
|
Carcinoma |
Cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin. |
|
Cellular
Oncogenes |
Pieces of DNA that, when broken or dislocated, can cause a normal cell
to become malignant. |
|
Chemotherapy |
Treatment with drugs. |
|
Combination
chemotherapy |
Use of several chemotherapeutic agents together in the treatment of
humors. |
|
Dedifferentiation |
Loss of differentiation of cells, reversion to a more premitive,
embryonic cell type; anaplasia. |
|
Deoxyribonucleic
acid(DNA) |
Genetic material within the nucleus of a cell; controls cell division
and protein synthesis |
|
Differentiation |
Specialization of cells. |
|
Electron beams |
Low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors. |
|
Encapsulated |
Surrounded by a capsule; benign tumors are encapsulated. |
|
Fractionation |
Giving radiation in small, repeated doses. |
|
Grading of tumors |
Evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells. |
|
Gross description
of tumors |
Visual appearance of tumors; cystic, fungating Inflammatory, medullary,
necrotic, polypoid, ulcerating, and verrucous. |
|
Infiltrative |
Extending beyond normal tissue boundaries. |
|
Invasive |
Having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue. |
|
Linear accelerator |
Device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of
deep-seated tumors |
|
Malignant |
Tending to become worse and result in death; tumors having the
characteristics of invasiveness, anaplasia, and metastasis. |
|
Metastasis |
Spread of a malignant tumor to a secondary Site; literally, beyond
(meta-) control (-stasis). |
|
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. |
|
Mixed-tissue
Tumors |
Tumors composed of different types of tissue (epithelial as well as
connective tissue). |
|
Modality |
Method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation |
|
Morbidity |
The condition o being diseased |
|
Mucinous |
Containing mucus. |
|
Mutation |
Change in the genetic material (DNA) of a Cell; may be caused by
chemicals, radiation or viruses or may occur spontaneously. |
|
Neoplasm |
New growth; benign or malignant tumors. |
|
Oncogene |
A region of DNA (genetic material) found in tumor cells (cellular
oncogene) or in viruses that cause (viral oncogene). Oncogenes are
designated by a three-letter word, such as abl, erb, jun, myc, ras,
and src. |
|
Pedunculated |
Possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle); characteristic of some polypoid
tumors. |
|
Pharmacokinetics |
Study of the distribution and removal of drugs in the body over a period
of time. |
|
Protocol |
An explicit, detailed plan for treatment |
|
Radiation |
Energy carried by a stream of particles Various forms of radiation can
cause cancer |
|
Radiocurable
Tumor |
Cells that are eradicated by radiation therapy |
|
Radio resistant
Tumor |
Cells that require large doses of radiation to be destroyed |
|
Radio sensitive
Tumor |
A tumor in which radiation can cause death of cells. |
|
Radiosensitizers |
Drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays |
|
Radiotherapy |
Treatment using radiation |
|
Relapse |
Return of symptoms of disease. |
|
Remission |
Absence of symptoms of disease. |
|
Ribonucleic
acid (RNA) |
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 |
|
Serous |
Pertaining to a thin, watery fluid (serum). |
|
Sessile |
Having no stem; characteristic of some polypoid tumors. |
|
Solid tumors |
Tumor composed of mass of cells |
|
Staging of tumors |
System of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors. An example is the
TNM system (tumor, does, and metastasis). |
|
Steroids |
Complex, naturally occurring chemicals, such As hormones, that are used
as chemotherapeutic agents. |
|
Surgical
Procedures to
Treat cancer |
Method of removing cancerous tissue; Cryosurgery, electrocauterization,
en bloc resection, excisional biopsy, exenteration incisional biopsy. |
|
Ultraviolet
Radiation |
Rays given off by the sun. |
|
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. |