Cancer Glossary 2

Cancer Glossary 2

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acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): The most common cancer in children, in whom it is highly curable with chemotherapy. Adult ALL is less common and requires an allogeneic stem cell transplant to achieve cure.

acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): The most common acute leukemia in adults, mainly affecting those sixty years of age and older. Treatment often involves intensive chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant to achieve cure.

adjuvant therapy: Cancer treatments administered after surgery in order to prevent a cancer recurrence.

allogeneic stem cell transplant: The transfer of blood stem cells from one individual (donor) to another (recipient), after treatment of the donor with specific medications; used in the treatment of blood and lymph cancers affecting the bone marrow, such as leukemia.

anemia: Condition when the amount of red blood is lower than the normal range; may contribute to fatigue. Anemia has numerous possible causes, one of which is the administration of chemotherapy.

angiogenesis inhibitors: Cancer-fighting medicines that block the blood supply to a cancer.

apoptosis: The biologic term for the organized process of death experienced by cancer cells in response to cancer-fighting treatments.

autologous stem cell transplant: The removal and return of one’s own blood stem cells, separated by the administration of intensive (“high dose”) chemotherapy to treat blood and lymph cancers, testicular cancer, and some sarcomas.

blood stem cells: The population of cells derived from bone marrow that can reconstitute a person’s bone marrow, blood-forming capacity, and immune system when their own bone marrow has been intentionally destroyed or suppressed as part of the transplant process. Blood stem cells can be driven into the bloodstream and harvested through a catheter in a vein.

bone scan: A radiology test that detects cancer deposits in the bone through the intravenous injection of a radioactive bone-seeking compound.

cancer clinical trial: A research study that enrolls people on a voluntary basis to test the effectiveness of a new way to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancer.

cell: The basic structural building block of all living things.

chromosomes: Rodlike structures found in most living cells that are composed of DNA and proteins required to maintain the DNA. Most human cells have forty-six chromosomes; alterations of normal chromosome structure are commonly found in cancer cells.

chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): The most common type of leukemia, mainly affecting those sixty years of age and older.

chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): A type of leukemia characterized by an initial chronic phase followed, if not successfully treated, by a more aggressive phase. CML is highly treatable with targeted medicines such as Gleevec.

CT (computerized tomography) scan: Detailed pictures of the inside of the body taken using a sophisticated X-ray machine linked to a computer.

cure: When no evidence of a cancer can be found after treatment for the life of the patient. A cancer is commonly described as cured after a period of time after which the chance of a recurrence is extremely low, such as five or ten years.

EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor): A molecule on the surface of many cancers that stimulates the cancer to grow; it is the target of a class of cancerfighting drugs, called “EGFR inhibitors,” that include such medicines as Tarceva and Erbitux.

genetic testing for cancer: The analysis of a person’s DNA, derived from a simple blood test, to determine their predisposition to develop specific cancers. The results may enable the person tested and/or his or her family members to prevent cancer if recommended precautions are taken.

genomics: The study of a cancer’s DNA through sophisticated scientific techniques.

informed consent: The process by which a person is fully informed and educated about the risks and benefits of a procedure they may undergo; usually relates to participation in a clinical trial or when considering genetic testing for a family cancer gene.

LDH (lactate dehydrogenase): An easily measurable chemical found in the bloodstream that may be generated in high amounts by rapidly growing cancers, in particular lymphomas.

mediastinum: The area of the human body located in the middle of the chest between the lungs, containing the heart, portions of the aorta and vena cava, main bronchial tubes, thymus gland, lymph nodes, and other structures.

metastasis: The spread of cancer to regions of the body away from the original site of the cancer, for example, when colon cancer spreads to the liver.

MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance): Condition when an M-spike is detected in the bloodstream but there is no evidence of cancer; patients must be followed for the possible development of multiple myeloma and related disorders.

micrometastases: Cancer deposits that have spread in the body but are too small to be detected by imaging techniques, such as CT scans.

M-protein (also called M-spike): An abnormal protein found in the bloodstream of patients with multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, and some other blood/lymph cancers; the protein is made by the cancerous cells and declines in amount with effective treatment. May also be found in MGUS.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan: Detailed pictures of the inside of the body taken using a sophisticated machine that uses a powerful magnet linked to a computer.

mutation: A change in the DNA sequence that may alter the function of a gene and its corresponding protein. The DNA of a cancer cell is characterized by the presence of numerous mutations.

neoadjuvant therapy: Cancer treatments administered before and in preparation for surgery.

neutropenia: Condition when the bacteria-fighting blood cells called neutrophils are present in levels significantly below the normal range; usually associated with the use of chemotherapy or radiation. Neutropenia places the patient at increased risk for infection.

oncogenes: Normal genes that function abnormally as a result of genetic mutation and that contribute to the development of cancer; many oncogenes are the targets of new cancer-fighting medicines called targeted therapies.

PET (positron emission tomography) scan: A technique to measure the activity level of some cancers through the injection of radioactive glucose (sugar) into the vein.

primary site: The original location where a cancer begins, for example, the breast, prostate, or lung.

prognostic factor: Some aspect of a patient or their cancer used to predict the aggressiveness and survivability of that cancer; for example, being estrogen receptor (ER) positive is a good prognostic factor in breast cancer.

progressive disease: The term used by doctors to convey that a cancer is growing.

PSA (prostate specific antigen): A blood marker of prostate cancer used in screening for the disease and in following the effectiveness of treatment for metastatic prostate cancer.

radiologist: A physician expert at interpreting imaging tests of the human body.
A type of radiologist called an interventional radiologist is expert at performing procedures (such as the placement of a central venous catheter or the instillation of chemotherapy directly into the liver) under the guidance of an imaging machine, such as a CT scan.

recurrence: Regrowth of a cancer after it has been in remission for some time.

remission: The term used to relate that a cancer has stopped growing and has shrunken in size or amount; in a partial remission, the cancer has shrunken by at least 30 percent, whereas in a complete remission, no cancer can be detected.

stable disease: When a cancer has stopped growing but has not significantly shrunken in size or decreased in amount.

staging workup: The battery of tests performed to determine the extent of a particular cancer in the body.

stereotactic radiosurgery: A technique in which high-intensity radiation is focused on a small region of the body in order to eradicate a limited area of cancer.

support group: A meeting of cancer survivors or their loved ones, often led by an experienced professional, to help the participants cope with the many effects of cancer on their lives.

survivor: Anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer.

targeted therapy: A type of cancer-fighting medication designed to bind to one or a few critical targets in a cancer cell.

tumor marker: A chemical measured from the bloodstream and made by a particular cancer that is an indirect measure of the growth of that cancer; for example, many testicular cancers generate a marker called AFP.

tumor suppressor genes: Genes that prevent cancer from developing and are commonly inactivated in many cancers. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes are commonly inherited in families with a predisposition to cancer, such as mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in hereditary breast and
ovarian cancers.

whole brain radiation therapy: Administration of radiation to the entire brain in order to treat the spread of cancer there.