vocab | meaning |
adjuvant therapy | assisting primary treatment |
alkylating agents | synthetic chemicals containing alkyl groups that interfere with DNA synthesis |
anaplasia | loss of differentiation of cells |
antibiotics | chemical substances produced by bacteria, that inhibit the growth of cells |
antimetabolites | chemicals that prevent cell division by inhibiting the formation of substances necessary to make DNA |
apoptosis | programmed cell death |
benign tumor | noncancerous |
biological response modifiers | substance produced by normal cells that either directly block tumor growth or stimulate the immune system |
biological therapy | use of the body's own defense mechanisms to fight tumor cells |
carcinogens | agents that cause cancer |
carcinoma | cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin |
cellular oncogenes | pieces of DNA that when broken or dislocated, can cause a normal cell to become malignant |
chemotherapy | treatment with drugs |
combination chemotherapy | use of several chemotherapeutic agents together for the treatment of tumors |
dedifferentiation | loss of differentiation of cells |
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNS) | genetic material within the nucleus of a cell |
differentiating agents | drugs that promote tumor cells to differentiate, stop growing and die |
differentiation | specialization of cells |
electron beams | low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors |
encapsulated | surrounded by a capsule |
external beam radiation | radiation applied to a tumor from a distant source |
fractionation | giving radiation in small, repeated doses |
genetic screening | family members are tested to determine whether they have inherited a cancer-causing gene |
grading of tumors | evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells |
gray (Gy) | unit of radiation equal to 100 rad (absrobed dose of radiation) |
gross description of tumors | visual appearance of tumors |
infiltrative | extending beyond normal tissue boundaries |
invasive | having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue |
linear accelerator | device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors |
malignant tumor | tending to become worse and result in deatg |
mesenchymal | embryonic connective tissue |
metastasis | spread of malignant tumor to a secondary site |
microscopic description (of tumors) | the appearance of tumors when viewed under a microscope |
mitosis | replication of cells |
mixed-tissue tumors | tumors composed of different types of tisse |
modality | method of treatment |
molecularly targeted drugs | anticancer drugs designed to block the function of growth factors, their receptors, and signaling pathways in tumor cells |
morbidity | the condition of being diseased |
mucinous | containingg mucus |
mutation | change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell |
neoplasm | new growth |
nucleotide | unit of DNA (gene) composed of a sugar, phosphate and base |
oncogene | a region of DNA (genetic material) found in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses that cause cancer (viral oncogene) |
palliative | relieving, but curing symptoms |
pedunculated | possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle) |
pharmacokinetics | study of the distribution in an removal of drugs from the body over a period of time |
protocol | an explicit, detailed plan for treatment |
rad | unit of absorbed radiation dose |
radiation | energy carried by a stream of particles |
radiocurable tumor | cells that are eradicated by radiation therapy |
radioresistant tumor | cells that require large doses of radiation to be destroyed |
radiosensitive tumor | a tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells |
radiosensitizers | drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays |
radiotherapy | treatment using radiation |
relapse | return of symptoms of disease |
remission | absence of symptoms of disease |
ribonucleic acid (RNA) | cellular substance (located within an outside the nucleus) that, along with DNA, plays an important role in the synthesis of proteins in a cell |
sarcoma | cancerous tumor derived from connective tissue |
serous | pertaining to a thin, watery fluid |
sessile | having no stem |
solid tumor | tumor composed of a mass of cells |
staging of tumors | system of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors |
steroids | complex, naturally occurring chemicals, such as hormones, that are used as chemotherapeutic agents |
surgical procedures to treat cancer | methods of removing cancerous tissue |
ultraviolet radiation | rays given off by the sun |
viral oncogenes | pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant |
virus | an infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host's genetic material to make copies of itself |