| s-phase fraction: the percentage of cells that are replicating their DNA. DNA replication usually means that a cell is getting ready to split into 2 new cells. A low s-phase fraction is a sign that a tumor is slow-growing; a high s-phase fraction shows that the cells are dividing rapidly and the tumor is growing quickly. |
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| sarcoma:
(sar-ko-muh):
a malignant tumor growing from connective tissues, such as cartilage, fat, muscle, or bone. |
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| scan: a study using either x-rays or radioisotopes to produce images of internal body organs. See radioisotope. |
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| scintillation camera:
(sin-till-LAY-shun):
device used in nuclear medicine scans to detect radioactivity and produce images that help diagnose cancer and other diseases. See nuclear medicine scan. |
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| screening: the search for disease, such as cancer, in people without symptoms. For example, screening measures for prostate cancer include digital rectal examination and the PSA blood test. Screening may refer to coordinated programs in large groups of people. The same tests used for screening may also be used as diagnostic tests, which look for cancer in a person after there is some sign of a problem. For instance, a PSA test would be a diagnostic test if it was used in a man who had a lump on his prostate or urinary symptoms. |
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| secondary tumor: a tumor that forms as a result of spread (metastasis) of cancer from the place where it started. |
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| sedation:
(suh-day-shun):
to make sleepy, calm, or relaxed. Drugs to cause sedation are often used along with medicines to numb an area for a procedure or certain types of surgery. See also anesthesia. |
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| sentinel lymph node biopsy: a newer procedure that might replace standard lymph node dissection. Blue dye and/or a radioisotope tracer is injected into the tumor site at the time of surgery and the first (sentinel) node that picks up the dye is removed and biopsied. If the node is cancer-free, fewer nodes are removed. See also lymph node and radioisotope. |
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| sex therapist: a mental health professional with special training in counseling people about sexual changes, problems, and communication (for example, after treatment for cancer). |
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| side effects: unwanted effects of treatment such as hair loss caused by chemotherapy, and fatigue caused by radiation therapy. |
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| sievert (Sv): the newer, international unit of measurement of radiation exposure. One sievert equals 100 rem. Often reported in millisieverts (mSv), which are thousandths of a sievert. A mSv is 1/10 of a rem. See also radiation dose. |
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| sigmoidoscope:
(sig-moid-uh-scope):
a slender, flexible, hollow, lighted tube about the thickness of a finger. It is inserted through the rectum up into the colon. This allows the doctor to look at the inside of the rectum and part of the colon for cancer or for polyps. The sigmoidoscope is connected to a video camera and video display monitor so the doctor can look closely at the inside of your colon. Polyps are small growths that can become cancerous. This test may be somewhat uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. |
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| sigmoidoscopy:
(sig-moid-AH-skuh-pee):
a procedure in which a doctor can look into the rectum and the descending portion of the colon for polyps or other abnormalities. |
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| sign: a physical change you can see. Compare to symptom. |
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| simulation: a process involving special x-ray pictures that are used to plan radiation treatment so that the area to be treated is precisely located and marked for treatment. See also external beam radiation therapy. |
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| SKY: short for spectral karyotyping; a cytogenetic blood test used to see all the pairs of chromosomes in a cell in different colors. Also called chromosome painting. See also cytogenetics. |
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| social worker: a health professional who helps people find community resources and provides counseling and guidance to help with issues such as insurance coverage and nursing home placement. |
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| somatic mutation: a change in DNA that starts in one cell of the body after an embryo is formed. All the cells that arise from it will have the same mutation, which in some cases can form cancer. This kind of mutation is different from any inherited mutations that are present at birth in all the cells of the body. Somatic mutations are not passed on to children. Compare to inherited mutation. See also mutation and deoxyribonucleic acid. |
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| speech therapist: a person specially trained to work with people to help them speak clearly. Speech therapists help re-establish communication skills and also make sure that patients can easily eat and drink. |
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| sphincter:
(sfink-ter):
a ring-like muscle that can open and close to control the passage of substances in the body. |
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| spinal tap: a procedure in which a thin needle is placed in the spinal canal to withdraw a small amount of spinal fluid or to give medicine into the central nervous system through the spinal fluid. Also called lumbar puncture or LP. |
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| spindle cell: a cell that, when viewed under a microscope, looks like a long oval. Some types of sarcomas, melanomas, and carcinomas have this type of cell. There are also normal cells of the body that are shaped like spindles. |
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| spiral CT: a special scanner that takes cross-sectional pictures around the body. See also computerized tomography. |
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| sputum cytology:
(spu-tum sy-tahl-uh-jee):
a study of phlegm cells under a microscope to see if they are normal or not. |
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| squamous cell carcinoma:
(skway-mus car-sin-o-mah):
cancer that begins in the flat, non-glandular cells of the body, for example, the skin or the lining of the body's organs. |
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| staging: the process of finding out whether cancer has spread and if so, how far. There is more than 1 system for staging different cancers. The TNM staging system, which is used the most, gives 3 key pieces of information: T refers to the size of the tumor; N describes the cancer spread to nearby lymph nodes; and M shows whether the cancer has spread (metastasized) to other organs. Letters or numbers after the T, N, and M give more details about each of these factors. The TNM descriptions can be grouped together into a simpler set of stages, labeled with Roman numerals I to IV. In general, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number means a more serious cancer. |
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| standard therapy: standard treatment. See therapy. |
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| stem cell transplant: procedure used to restock the bone marrow when it has been destroyed by chemotherapy, radiation, or disease. Stem cells can be taken from bone marrow or circulating blood to be transfused into the patient. Stem cells may be the patient's own (autologous), or may come from someone else (allogeneic). Bone marrow transplants (BMTs) were the first method for replacing stem cells. |
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| stem cells: any type of cell that may mature into different types of cells. In cancer treatment, they usually are the immature blood cells found in the bone marrow and in the blood. Even though they start out the same, these stem cells can mature into all types of blood cells. |
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| stenosis:
(steh-no-sis):
a narrowing (stricture) of a duct or canal. |
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| stent: a very small tube or "straw-like" device that is inserted to support and hold open a tube-shaped organ, such as a blood vessel or intestine. |
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| stereotactic needle biopsy:
(steer-e-o-TACK-tick buy-op-see):
a method of needle biopsy that is useful in some cases in which calcifications or a mass can be seen on mammogram but cannot be felt. A computer maps the location of the mass to guide the placement of the needle. See also needle aspiration and needle biopsy. |
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| stereotactic radiosurgery: this new treatment method focuses high doses of radiation at a tumor while limiting the exposure that normal tissue receives. The treatment may be useful for tumors that are in places where regular surgery would harm essential tissue, for example, in the brain or spinal cord, or when the patient's condition does not permit regular surgery. |
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| sterility: the inability to have children, which can result from some types of cancer treatment. Also known as infertility. |
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| stoma: an opening, especially an opening made by surgery to allow elimination of body waste. See also colostomy, ileostomy, and urostomy. |
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| stomatitis:
(sto-muh-TIE-tus):
inflammation or ulcers of mouth area. Stomatitis can be a side effect of some kinds of chemotherapy. |
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| supraclavicular lymph nodes:
(sue-pruh-clah-VICK-you-lar):
lymph nodes that are found just above the collarbone (clavicle). |
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| surgeon: a doctor who operates. |
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| surgical biopsy: removal of tissues using open surgery so that the tissues can be looked at under a microscope to find out if they contain cancer cells. Also called open surgical biopsy. Biopsies may also be done laparoscopically, or with thin needles. See biopsy, laparoscope, and fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. |
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| surgical oncologist: a doctor who specializes in using surgery to treat cancer. |
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| survival rate: the percentage of people still alive within a certain period of time after diagnosis or treatment. For cancer, a 5-year survival rate is often given. This does not mean that people can't live more than 5 years, or that those who live for 5 years are necessarily permanently cured. See also relative 5-year survival rate. |
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| survivor: not generally used as a medical word, survivor can have several different meanings when applied to people with cancer. Some people use the word to refer to anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer. For example, someone living with cancer may be considered a survivor. Some people use the term when referring to one who has completed cancer treatment. And still others call a person a survivor if he or she has lived several years past a cancer diagnosis. The American Cancer Society believes that each individual has the right to define his or her own experience with cancer and considers a cancer survivor to be anyone who defines himself or herself this way, from the time of diagnosis throughout the balance of his or her life. |
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| survivorship: the state of being a cancer survivor, that is, having been diagnosed with cancer. See also survivor. |
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| symptom: a change in the body caused by an illness or condition, as described by the person experiencing it. Compare to sign. |
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| synchronous:
(sin-kruh-nus):
at the same time; for example, cancer in both breasts at the same time is synchronous. |
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| synergistic:
(sin-er-jis-tick):
acting together. A synergistic agent can act together with other agents to produce an effect greater than that of the sum of each one acting alone. Some chemotherapy drugs act synergistically. |
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| systemic disease:
(sis-tem-ick):
in cancer, this term means that a cancer that started in one place has spread to distant organs or structures. |
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| systemic therapy: treatment that reaches and affects cells throughout the body; for example, chemotherapy. |
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