Proteins in the immune system that recognize and attach
to foreign molecules, called antigens.
Benign
a tumor that is not cancerous.
Biopsy
Removal of a tissue sample that is then examined under a
microscope to check for cancer cell.
Bone Marrow Biopsy
Removal of a tissue sample from the center of the bones.
Carcinoma
Cancer that starts in skin or tissues that line the inside
or cover the outside of internal organs.
Chemotherapy
The use of drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Chromosome
A microscopic structure in the nucleus of a cell that contains
Genes.
Clinical Trial
Research studies that test new treatment and prevention
methods to find out if they are safe, effective, and better
than the current standard of care (the best known treatment)
Cyst
A fluid-filled mass that is usually benign.
Gene
A length of DNA that carries the genetic information
necessary for production of a protein. Genes are
located on chromosomes and are the basic units of heredity.
Genetic Testing
The analysis of a person’s DNA to check for genetic
mutations (changes) that carry an increased risk of or
predisposition to Cancer.
Hormone
A substance produced by an organ or gland that is carried
by the blood and produces a specific effect on other organs
or glands.
Informed Consent
Legal document that explains a course of treatment, along
with it’s risks, benefits, and possible alternatives.
Lumbar Puncture
Procedure where a doctor removes and analyzes a sample
of Cerebrospinal fluid (fluid that flows around the brain
and spinal cord). Also called Spinal Tap.
Lymph node
A tiny, bean-shaped organ that fights infection.
Malignant
A tumor that is cancerous.
Margin
Edge of the tissue removed during surgery.
Metastasis
The spread of cancer from where the cancer began to another
part of the body.
Oncologist
A doctor who specialized in treating people with cancer.
Palliative
Treatment of the physical, spiritual, psychological,
and the social needs of a person with cancer. Its
purpose is to improve quality of life.
Prognosis
Chance of recovery.
Radiation therapy
The use of high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells.
Remission
The disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer,
but not necessarily the entire disease. The disappearance
can be temporary or permanent.
A surgical procedure in which the lymph
nodes in the armpit are removed and examined to find out
if breast cancer has spread to those nodes.
Breast-conserving threatment
Surgery
to remove a breast cancer and a small amount of normal
tissue around the cancer, without removing any other part
of the cancer. This procedure is also called lumpectomy.
Breast
Reconstruction
Surgery that rebuilds the breast contour after Mastectomy.
Carcinoma in situ
An
early stage of cancer, in which the tumor is still only
in the structures of the organ where it first developed.
HER2
A
gene that produces a type of receptor that helps cells
grow.
Lymphedema
A
possible complication after breast cancer treatment.
Swelling in the arm is caused by excess fluid that
collects after lymph nodes and vessels have been removed
by surgery or treated with radiation.
A
protein that is found in larger amounts in the blood of many
women with ovarian cancer.
Colposcopy
An
examination of the cervix and vagina from outside the body
with a magnifying instrument.
Dilation & Curettage (D&C)
Removal
of a tissue sample from the uterus.
Dysplasia
An
abnormal growth of cells.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
The
use of estrogen and sometimes progesterone, in women who
has gone through menopause.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
A virus spread during sexual
intercourse; risk factor for Cervical cancer.
Hysterectomy
Removal
of the uterus
Laproscopy
An
operation where the surgeon operates through small openings
in, the abdomen. The surgeon sees the structures
with a small telescope device called a laparoscope.
Oophorectomy
Surgery
to remove an ovary
Pelvis
The
part of the body below the abdomen within the confines of
the pelvic bones.
An exam in which the doctor inserts a gloved finger into
the rectum to feel for anything not normal. Dome tunors of
the rectum and prostate gland can be felt during a DRE.
External
Bean Radiation
A form of treatment in which radiation is focused from
a source outside the body on the area affected by the cancer.
It is much like getting a diagnostic x- ray, but for a
longer time. Compare to brachytherapy.
Gleason
score
A method of classifying prostate cancer cells on a scale
of 2 to 10. The higher the Gleason score (also called
Gleason sum), the faster the cancer is likely to grow and
the more likely it is to spread beyond the prostate.
Gleason
System
The most often used prostate cancer grading system. This
system assigns a Gleason grade ranging from 1 through 5
based on how much the arrangement of the cancer cells look
the way normal prostate cells are arranged in the prostate
gland. Because prostate cancers often have areas
with different grades, a grade is assigned to the 2 areas
that make up most of the cancer. These 2 grades area
added to give a Gleason score between 2 and 10.
Hormone
Therapy
Treatment with hormones, drugs that interfere with hormone
production or hormone action, or the surgical removal
of hormone-producing glands. Hormone therapy may kill
cancer cells or slow their growth.
Urinary
incontinence
The inability to control the urine stream,
resulting in leakage or dribbling of urine.
Prostatectomy
The
removal of the entire prostate gland
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
A
tumor market (a type of protein released by prostate
tissue) that may be found at higher-than-normal
levels in men with prostate cancer
or another prostate condition.
Watchful Waiting
Instead
of active treatment for prostate cancer, the doctor may
suggest close monitoring. This maybe reasonable choice
for older men with small tumors that might grow very slowly.
