| abdomen:
(ab-duh-men):
the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis. It contains the stomach (with the lower part of the esophagus), small and large intestines, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and other organs. The abdomen is lined by a membrane called the peritoneum. |
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| ablative therapy:
(ab-lay-tive):
treatment that removes or destroys the function of an organ. For example, removing the ovaries or testicles or taking medicines that cause them to stop making the hormones which help some types of cancer grow. |
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| abscess:
(ab-ses):
a collection of pus in tissues, organs, or other parts of the body. |
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| adenocarcinoma:
(add-no-car-suh-NO-muh):
cancer that starts in the glandular tissue, such as in the ducts or lobules of the breast. |
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| adenoma:
(add-no-muh):
a benign (non-cancerous) growth starting in the glandular tissue. |
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| adhesions:
(ad-hee-zhunz):
scar tissue that forms after surgery. If it tightens, it may bind together organs that are normally separate. This can sometimes cause partial or total blockage of the intestine. |
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| adjuvant therapy:
(ad-juh-vunt):
treatment used in addition to the main treatment. It usually refers to hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy added after surgery to increase the chances of curing the disease or keeping it in check. |
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| adrenal gland:
(uh-dree-nul):
one adrenal gland is located at the top of each kidney. Its main function is to make hormones which control metabolism, fluid balance, and blood pressure. It also makes small amounts of "male" hormones (androgens) and "female" hormones (estrogens and progesterone). |
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| advance directives: legal documents that tell the doctor and family what a person wants for future medical care in the event that the patient becomes unable to make decisions for him or herself. This may include whether to start or when to stop life-sustaining treatments. Another type of advance directive lets you choose a person to make decisions for you later if you become unable to do it for yourself. See living will and health care power of attorney. |
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| advanced cancer: a general term describing stages of cancer in which the disease has spread from where it started (the primary site) to other parts of the body. When the cancer has spread only to the nearby areas, it is called locally advanced cancer. If it has spread to distant parts of the body, it is called metastatic cancer. |
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| AJCC Staging System: American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (also called the TNM system), which describes the extent of a cancer's spread in Roman numerals from 0 through IV. See also, staging. |
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| allogeneic bone marrow transplant:
(al-o-gen-nay-ick):
uses marrow from a donor whose tissue type closely matches the patient's. This can be from a related donor or an unrelated donor. See also stem cell transplant. |
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| alopecia:
(al-o-PEE-shuh):
hair loss, which can include body hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes as well as scalp hair. This often happens with chemotherapy treatment or radiation therapy to the head. In most cases, the hair grows back after treatment ends. |
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| alternative therapy: an unproven therapy that is recommended instead of standard (proven) medical treatment. Some alternative therapies have dangerous or even life-threatening side effects. With others, the main danger is that the patient may lose the chance to benefit from standard treatment. The American Cancer Society recommends that patients thinking about using any alternative or complementary therapy discuss it first with a member of their health care team. See also complementary therapy. |
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| alveoli:
(al-vee-o-lie):
air sacs of the lungs. |
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| Amsterdam criteria:
(am-stir-dam cry-teer-ee-uh):
a set of conditions common in people with hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC). Only about 60% of people who meet all of the criteria actually have HNPCC, but people who meet the criteria may want to consider genetic testing for it. Compare to Bethesda criteria. See also hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer. |
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| anastomosis:
(uh-nas-tuh-MO-sis):
the site where 2 structures are surgically joined together. |
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| androgen:
(an-dro-jen):
any male sex hormone. The major androgen is testosterone. |
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| androgen blockade: use of drugs to disrupt the actions of male hormones. |
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| anecdotal:
(an-neckdoe-tul):
individual or personal report, an incomplete description from one or more patients. |
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| anemia:
(uh-neem-ee-uh):
low red blood cell count. |
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| anesthesia:
(an-es-thee-zuh):
the loss of feeling or sensation as a result of drugs or gases. General anesthesia causes loss of consciousness ("puts you into a deep sleep"). Local or regional anesthesia numbs only a certain area. |
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| anesthesiologist:
(an-es-thee-zee-AHL-uh-jist):
a doctor who specializes in giving medicines or other agents that prevent or relieve pain, especially during surgery. |
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| aneuploid:
(an-you-ploid):
see ploidy. |
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| angiogenesis:
(an-jee-o-JEN-uh-sis):
the formation of new blood vessels. Some cancer treatments work by blocking angiogenesis, thus preventing blood from reaching the tumor. |
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| angiography:
(an-jee-AH-gruf-fee):
a test in which a contrast dye is injected directly into a blood vessel that goes to the area that is being studied. A series of x-ray images are then taken to show surgeons the location of blood vessels around a tumor. |
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| anorexia:
(an-uh-rek-see-uh):
loss of appetite; may be caused by either the cancer itself or as a side effect of treatments such as chemotherapy. |
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| anterior:
(an-teer-ee-yer):
at or near the front. |
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| anti-emetic:
(an-tie-eh-MEH-tik):
a drug that prevents or relieves nausea and vomiting, common side effects of chemotherapy. |
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| anti-estrogen:
(an-tie-ess-tro-jen):
a substance (for example, the drug tamoxifen) that blocks the effects of estrogen on tumors. Anti-estrogens are used to treat breast cancers that depend on estrogen for growth. |
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| antibiotic: drugs used to kill micro-organisms that cause disease. Antibiotics may be made naturally by living organisms or they may be created in the lab. Since some cancer treatments can reduce the body's ability to fight off infection, antibiotics may be used to treat or prevent these infections. |
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| antibody: a protein produced by immune system cells and released into the blood. Antibodies defend the body against foreign agents, such as bacteria. These agents contain certain substances called antigens. Each antibody works against a specific antigen. See also antigen. |
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| antigen:
(an-tuh-jen):
a substance that causes the body's immune system to respond. This response often involves making antibodies. For example, the immune system's response to antigens that are part of bacteria and viruses helps people resist infections. Cancer cells have certain antigens that can be found by lab tests. They are important in cancer diagnosis and in watching response to treatment. Other cancer cell antigens play a role in immune reactions that may help the body's resistance against cancer. |
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| antimetabolites:
(an-tie-muh-TAB-o-lites):
substances that interfere with the body's chemical processes, such as those that create proteins, DNA, and other chemicals needed for cell growth and reproduction. In treating cancer, antimetabolite drugs disrupt DNA production, which in turn prevents cell division and growth of tumors. See also DNA. |
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| antioxidants:
(an-tie-OX-uh-dunts):
compounds that hold back chemical reactions with oxygen (oxidation). Some vitamins, such as vitamins C and E and beta-carotene are antioxidants. Antioxidants that are found in foods are thought to reduce the risk of some cancers. However, use of certain antioxidants supplements has been linked to higher cancer risk in some people. |
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| APC gene: a gene that slows the growth of cells in the body. Changes in this gene can cause familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Gardner syndrome. People who have a mutation in this gene can develop hundreds of polyps in the colon. See also Gardner syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis. |
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| apheresis:
(a-fur-REE-sis):
or pheresis (fur-ree-sis): a procedure in which blood is taken, part of the blood is removed, and the rest of the blood is infused back into the donor. May be called plasmapheresis if plasma is removed, leukaphoresis if white blood cells are removed, or plateletpheresis when platelets are removed. |
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| apoptosis:
(a-pop-toe-sis):
programmed cell death. Apoptosis is controlled by genes that cause a cell to die at a specific time, for example, when DNA is damaged. This type of cell death is different from the process of cell death by decay. Some drugs used to treat cancer cause apoptosis. |
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| aspiration:
(asp-er-A-shun):
to draw out by suction. See also, fine needle aspiration biopsy. |
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| asymptomatic:
(a-simp-tuh-MAT-ik):
not having any symptoms of a disease. Many cancers can develop and grow without producing symptoms, especially in the early stages. Screening tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies help to find these early cancers before symptoms start, when the chances for cure are usually highest. See also screening. |
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| atypia:
(a-tip-ee-yuh):
not normal; atypical. Often refers to the appearance of cancerous or pre-cancerous cells. See also atypical, hyperplasia. |
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| atypical:
(a-tip-uh-kul):
not usual; abnormal. Also called atypia (a-tip-ee-yuh). Often refers to the appearance of cancerous or pre-cancerous cells. See also hyperplasia. |
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| autologous bone marrow transplantation:
(aw-tahl-uh-gus):
a complex treatment in which some of the patient's bone marrow is removed and stored. The patient then gets high doses of chemotherapy. The chemo destroys the cancer and any remaining bone marrow, taking away the body's natural ability to fight infection. The stored marrow is then given by transfusion (transplanted) to restore the patient's immune defenses. The best place to have a bone marrow transplant is at a comprehensive cancer center that has the skill and experience to perform it safely. Bone marrow transplants can also be received from a donor. See allogeneic bone marrow transplant. See also stem cell transplant. |
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| axilla:
(ax-ill-uh):
the armpit. |
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| axillary dissection:
(ax-ill-air-ee):
removal of the lymph nodes in the armpit (axillary nodes). They are looked at under a microscope to see if they contain cancer. |
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