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These are words that you may hear your health care team use.
accelerated
radiation: radiation
schedule in which the total dose is given over a shorter period of
time. (Compare to hyperfractionated radiation.)
adjuvant therapy
(add-joo-vunt):
a treatment used in addition to the main (primary) therapy. Radiation
therapy often is used as an adjuvant to surgery.
alopecia (al-o-pee-shuh): hair loss
anesthesia (an-es-thee-zhuh): loss of
feeling, sensation, or consciousness resulting from the use of certain
drugs or gases. Also used to describe the drug or gas used to cause
this.
anti-emetic (an-tie-eh-MEH-tik): a medicine
to prevent or treat nausea or vomiting.
benign tumor (be-nine too-mer): a
tumor that is not cancerous.
biologic therapy
(by-uh-lah-jick):
treatment that uses the immune system to fight infection and disease.
Also called immunotherapy or immune therapy.
biopsy
(by-op-see):
the removal of a sample of tissue that is examined under a microscope
to see if cancer cells are present.
brachytherapy (brake-ee-THER-uh-pee):
internal radiation treatment achieved by implanting radioactive
material directly into the tumor or close to it. Also called internal
radiation therapy.
cancer:
a general term for more than 100 diseases that have uncontrolled,
abnormal growth of cells that can invade and destroy healthy tissues.
catheter
(cath-eh-tur):
a thin, flexible tube through which fluids or other materials enter or
leave the body.
centigray (cGy) (sent-uh-gray): the
preferred measurement of the amount of radiation dose absorbed by the
body (1 cGy = 1 rad).
chemotherapy
(key-mo-THER-uh-pee): the
use of certain types of drugs to treat cancer. Also used to describe
the drugs themselves.
conformal
radiation therapy (con-for-mul
ray-dee-A-shun): a newer
type of radiation treatment that uses a special computer to help shape
the beam of radiation to match the shape of the tumor and delivers the
beam from different directions. This reduces the amount of exposure to
nearby healthy tissues.
dietitian (also
registered dietitian): a health professional who plans
well-balanced diet programs, including special diets to meet needs of
people with various medical conditions.
dosimetrist (doe-sim-uh-trist):: a person who
plans and calculates the proper radiation dose for treatment.
electron beam
(ee-leck-tron):
a stream of high-energy particles called electrons used to treat
cancer.
external
radiation: radiation therapy that uses a machine located
outside of the body to aim high-energy rays at cancer cells.
fractionation (frack-shun-A-shun): division of
the total dose of radiation into smaller doses in order to reduce
damage to healthy tissues.
fractions:
the smaller, divided doses of radiation that are given each day.
gamma rays:
high-energy rays that come from a radioactive source such as cobalt-60.
helical
tomotherapy (he-lick-ul
toe-mah-gruff-ee):
a newer form of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in which
the radiation is directed from a donut-shaped machine that spirals
around the body.
high-dose-rate
(HDR) brachytherapy: a type of internal radiation in which
the radioactive source is in place only for a few minutes and then
removed. This may be repeated several times over a few days to weeks.
Also known as high-dose-rate remote afterloading radiation therapy.
hyperfractionated
radiation (hi-per-frack-shun-ate-ed):
radiation schedule in which it is given in smaller doses and more than
once a day, but the overall length of treatment is the same. (Compare
to accelerated radiation.)
immune therapy:
treatment that uses the immune system to fight infection and disease.
Also called biologic therapy or immunotherapy.
implant,
radioactive: a small source or container of radioactive
material placed in the body, either in or near a cancer. (See also
brachytherapy.)
intensity
modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) (in-ten-si-tee mod-you-late-ed): an
advanced method of conformal radiation therapy in which the beams are
aimed from several directions and the intensity (strength) of the beams
is controlled by computers. This allows more radiation to reach the
treatment area while reducing the radiation to healthy tissues. (See
also conformal radiation therapy.)
internal
radiation: a type of therapy in which a radioactive
substance is implanted into or close to the area needing treatment.
Also called brachytherapy.
interstitial
radiation (in-ter-stih-shul):
a type of internal radiation in which a radioactive source (implant) is
placed directly into the tissue (not in a body cavity).
intracavitary
radiation (in-truh-kav-it-err-ee):
a type of internal radiation in which a radioactive source (implant) is
placed in a body cavity, such as the vagina, as opposed to directly
into a tumor.
intraoperative
radiation (in-truh-op-ruh-tiv):
a type of external radiation therapy used to deliver a large dose of
radiation to the tumor and surrounding tissue during surgery.
linear
accelerator (lin-ee-er
ak-sell-er-a-ter):
a machine that creates high-energy radiation to treat cancers, using
electricity to form a beam of fast-moving subatomic particles. Also
called mega-voltage (MeV) linear accelerator or a linac.
malignant (muh-lig-nunt): cancerous
medical
oncologist: a doctor who is specially trained in the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer and who specializes in the use of
chemotherapy and other drugs to treat cancer.
metastasis (meh-tass-tuh-sis): the
spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph
system or bloodstream. Also used to describe the area to which cancer
has spread. The plural is metastases.
oncologist
(on-call-uh-jist):
a doctor who specializes in caring for people who have cancer.
oncology (on-call-uh-jee): the
branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
palliative care
(pal-e-uh-tiv):
treatment intended to relieve symptoms caused by cancer, rather than to
cure it. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably.
physical
therapist: a health professional who helps patients use
exercises and other methods to restore or maintain the body's strength,
mobility, and function.
platelets (plate-uh-lets):
special blood cell fragments that help stop bleeding.
port (also
treatment field): the area of the body through which
external beam radiation is directed to reach a tumor.
prosthesis
(pros-thee-sis):
an artificial replacement for a part of the body.
rad:
short form for "radiation absorbed dose"; an older term of measurement
of the amount of radiation absorbed by the body (1 rad = 1 cGy).
radiation:
energy carried by waves or a stream of particles. Types of radiation
used to treat cancer include x-ray, electron beam, alpha and beta
particle, and gamma ray. Radioactive substances include forms of
cobalt, radium, iridium, cesium, iodine, strontium, samarium,
phosphorus, and palladium.
radiation
oncologist: a doctor who specializes in using radiation to
treat cancer.
radiation
physicist: a person trained to ensure that the radiation
machine delivers the right amount of radiation to the treatment area.
He or she works with the radiation oncologist and dosimetrist to
design, plan, and calculate the proper dose for radiation treatment.
radiation
therapist: a person with special training to work the
equipment that delivers the radiation.
radiation
therapy: the use of high-energy rays or subatomic
particles that penetrate the body to treat disease.
radiation
therapy nurse: a registered nurse who has special training
in oncology and radiation therapy.
radiologist:
a doctor with special training in reading and interpreting diagnostic
x-rays and performing specialized x-ray procedures.
radiopharmaceuticals
(ray-dee-o-farm-uh-suit-i-kulls):
radioactive substances that are taken by mouth or injected. They
collect in the area of the tumor and help stop its growth. Also called
radionuclides.
radio-resistance:
the ability of cells not to be affected by radiation.
radio-sensitivity:
how susceptible a cell, cancerous or healthy, is to
radiation. Cells that divide frequently are especially radiosensitive
and are more affected by radiation.
simulation: a
process involving special x-ray pictures that is used to plan radiation
treatment so that the area to be treated is precisely located and
marked.
social worker:
a mental health professional with a master's degree in social work
(MSW). A social worker can provide assistance in dealing with medical,
psychological, social, and educational needs.
teletherapy (tell-uh-thair-up-ee):
treatment in which the radiation source is at a distance from the body
(external radiation).
treatment field
(or port): the place on the body at which the radiation
beam is aimed.
tumor:
an abnormal lump or mass of tissue. Tumors are either benign
(non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
unsealed
radiation: internal radiation therapy given by injecting a
radioactive substance into the bloodstream or a body cavity or
swallowing it. This substance is not sealed in a container.
white blood cells:
the blood cells that help defend the body against infection. Also
called leukocytes.
x-ray:
a form of radiation that can be used either at low levels to produce an
image of the body on film or at high levels to destroy cancer cells.
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