Cancer: Medical Vocabulary
The following are terms that you
might hear during you or your loved one's diagnosis and
treatment of cancer:
Adjuvant or
neoadjuvant therapy: chemotherapy, radiotherapy or
hormone therapy used to kill remaining cancer cells left
behind after surgery.
Advance directive:
instructions on what kind of care you would like to have if
you become unable to make medical decisions.
Benign:
any tumor, growth or cell abnormality that is not cancerous.
The growth will not spread to deeper tissues or other parts of
the body.
Biological therapy:
therapy that uses the body's own immune system to attack
cancer cells. Biological therapy is sometimes called
immunotherapy, biotherapy or biological response
therapy.
Biopsy: removal of a
small portion of tissue to see whether it is
cancerous.
Carcinoma in situ
(CIS): cancer that involves only the cells in which it
started and has not spread to deeper tissues or other parts of
the body.
Chemotherapy:
therapy that uses drugs to damage cancer cells and make it
difficult for them to grow in number.
Clinical breast
exam: examination done by a health-care professional who
has training in breast health.
Clinical trials:
research studies that involve actual patients. They are
designed to find better ways to manage cancer from prevention
and detection to diagnosis and treatment.
Colonoscopy:
insertion of a long, flexible, lighted tube through the rectum
and into the colon. This allows the physician to check the
lining of the colon for abnormalities.
Colposcopy:
procedure where a lighted, magnifying instrument (colposcope)
is used to examine vaginal and cervical
abnormalities.
Complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM): therapy used during or after
cancer treatment that may help relieve the symptoms of cancer
and/or standard cancer treatments. Some examples of CAM
include meditation, yoga, spiritual counseling, acupuncture
and acupressure, and transcutaneous electrical nerve
stimulation (TENS).
Digital rectal exam:
exam where the doctor feels inside the rectum with his or her
finger and checks for abnormalities.
Family history/genetic
risk factor: increased risk of cancer because a close
relative, like a mother or a sister, had or has had the
disease.
Family physician: a
doctor who specializes in treating every part and disorder of
the human body. He or she may manage all or part of your
cancer treatment.
Fecal occult blood
test: test that checks for the presence of blood in
the stool. This test can be used to help diagnose colorectal
cancer.
Fibroid: a benign
tumor usually found in the uterus.
Flexible
sigmoidoscopy: insertion of a flexible, lighted tube into
the rectum. This tube is shorter than the tube used in a
colonoscopy. It allows the physician to check the rectum and
part of the colon for abnormalities.
Follow-up: an
appointment with your doctor after treatment to check the
status of your cancer and overall health.
Invasive cancer:
cancer that starts in one area of the body and then spreads to
the deeper tissues of that same area.
Localized: cancer
affecting only the cells of a certain area.
Lumpectomy: surgery
that removes abnormal or cancerous tissue and sometimes part
of the surrounding healthy tissue.
Malignant: indicates
that cancer cells are present and may be able to spread to
other parts of the body.
Mammogram: an x-ray
taken of the breast in order to check for
abnormalities.
Mastectomy: surgical
procedure that removes all or part of a diseased (cancerous)
breast.
Melanoma: a type of
skin cancer where the cancerous cells are found in the
melanocytes (cells that make the skin darker after being
exposed to natural or artificial sunlight).
Nonmelanoma: a type
of skin cancer where the cancerous cells are found in places
other than the melanocytes.
Metastasis: the spread of cancer from
one area of the body to another. For example, breast cancer
may spread to the lymph nodes and lung cancer may spread to
the brain.
Neoadjuvant therapy:
chemotherapy given before surgery or
radiotherapy.
Oncologist: a
physician who specializes in cancer.
Palliative care:
therapy that focuses on improving one's quality of life rather
than curing his or her cancer.
Polyp: Usually a
benign growth. Some polyps on the wall of the colon or rectum
can contain cancer or become cancerous over
time.
Pap smear: a test
that involves the scraping and study of cells that line the
cervix. Pap smears (also called pap tests) are used to detect
precancerous and cancerous cells, as well as other
noncancerous conditions.
Pathologist: a
doctor who identifies diseases (such as cancer) by studying
cells under a microscope.
Prognosis: the
expected outcome of a disease and chances for
recovery.
Prosthesis: an
artificial replacement for a body part such as a breast or
leg.
Prostate Specific
Antigen (PSA) test: a test that measures the amount of a
substance created by the prostate gland in the blood. An
elevated amount could be the result of infection, prostate
cancer or an enlarged prostate.
Radiation therapy (also
called radiotherapy): therapy that uses high-energy rays
(beams of light) or radioactive materials to damage cancer
cells, making it more difficult for them to grow in
number.
Reconstructive
surgery: operation preformed to repair skin and muscles
after surgery to treat cancer has been performed. Often used
to reconstruct a breast after a mastectomy.
Recurrence: the
development of cancerous cells in the same area or another
area of the body after cancer treatment.
Risk factors:
behaviors (such as smoking) or other circumstances (family or
genetic history) that may increase your risk of
cancer.
Side effects (of
therapy): problems caused by the damage of healthy cells
along with cancerous cells during treatment. Some common side
effects of cancer therapy include being tired, feeling sick to
your stomach (nausea), throwing up, hair loss and mouth
sores.
Stages of cancer:
the progression of cancer from mild to severe. Usually
indicates whether it has spread to deeper tissues or other
parts of the body. One method used by doctors to stage
different types of cancer is the TNM classification system. In
this system, doctors determine the presence and size of the
tumor (T), how many (if any) lymph nodes are involved (N) and
whether or not the cancer has metastasized (M). A number
(usually 0-4) is assigned to each of the three categories to
indicate its severity.
Surgery: a procedure
that removes, repairs or allows for the further study of a
specific body part.
