Term | Definition |
Antiretroviral Therapy | Medications to specifically combat the retrovirus. |
B cells | Lymphocytes that originate in the bone marrow. |
Opportunistic infections (OI) | Infections or cancers that do not generally cause disease in a person with a normal immune system. Commonly found in later stages of HIV or part of diagnosed |
Prophylaxis | Medication given to prevent infections. |
Retrovirus | One of a large group of RNA-based viruses that tend to infect immunocompromised persons. |
T cells | Lymphocytes that originate in the thymus (T lymphocytes) |
Viral load | Amount and strength of the HIV virus in an individual ; also called HIV-RNA |
Adjuvant therapy | Assisting or enhancing therapy given, especially in cancer to prevent further growth or pain; therapy used which was originally intended for another purpose. |
Anaplastic cell | A cell which lacks orderly growth arrangement, and does not function normally; these cells are found in malignant tumors. |
Antineoplastic | An agent that inhibits the growth of malignant cells. |
Apoptosis | cell self destruction |
Benign | harmless, not malignant |
Biopsy | removal of a sample of body tissue or fluid for diagnostic examination, usually microscopic; most often used to detect the presence of cancer. |
Biotherapy | The use of biologic response modifiers(BRM) in cancer treatment. |
Blastoma | Blastic tumors are malignant tumors of immature or embryonic tissue. (found in children)
Examples Nephroblastomas- kidney, medulloblastomas- brain and retinoblastomas- eye tumors. |
Cancer | a malignant growth, neoplasm, carcinoma.
is characterized by excessive growth (proliferation) of cells that lack the capabilities of normal cellular function. |
Carcinogen | An agent that causes cancer. |
Carcinogenessis | The transformation of a normal cell into a malignant cell. |
Carcinoma (CA) | The largest group of cancer. develop from epithelial tissues that line skin, glands, gastrointestinal (GI), urinary, and reproductive organs. Cancer, a malignant neoplasm (new growth) |
Cachexia | Severe ill health and malnutrition; debilitated state. |
Chemotherapy | Use of chemical agents to destroy cancerous cells |
Cryosurgery | Removal of tissue by destroying it through freezing. |
Cytology | the study of cells |
Eletrocauterization | destruction of malignant tissues by burning. |
Fulguration | destruction of malignant tissues by high- frequency current |
Histology | The study of tissues |
Immunotherapy | Biotherapy uses the immune system directly or indirectly against cancerous tumor cells via biological response modifiers (BRMs). biological response modifiers |
Leukemia | Malignant disease of blood forming organs may be classified as acute or chronic and also in relationship to the specific blood cell affected, as acute lymphoid (lymphocytic) myelocytic, or granulocytic leukemia. |
Malignant | deadly; tending to become progressively worse. |
Metastasis | Transfer of disease organisms or cells from one organ or body part to another not directly connected with it; often refers to cancer cells or TB |
Myelosuppression | Reduction in bone marrow function |
Neoplasm | Tumor, new growth( may be benign or malignant); often refers cancer |
Oncogene | A gene that causes cancer |
Oncology | Study of tumors and the study of cancer |
Remission | Indicated by absence of all signs of a disease such as remission of cancer. Dose not prove a cure of the disease. |
Replication | Reproduction of cancer |
Scarcoma | Connective tissue tumors. that develop from connective or supportive tissues, such as Cartilage, Bone, Fat, Muscle, Bone marrow, and Blood vessels
Example gliomas and neuroblastomas of the brain osteosarcoma, and Ewing's sarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma. |
Signs | Objective evidence of disease that another person can note (as opposed to symptom, which only the client can describe). |
Symptoms | Indications of disease or illness that are noticed by the client e.g fatigue, nausea, or malaise; subjective observations |
Allergen | A substance capable of producing hypersensitivity (allergy) |
Allergy | A state in which the body is hypersensitive to a substance, usually a protein |
Anaphylaxis | Serious state of shock resulting from hypersensitivity to an allergen ; also called anaphylactic effect. |
Autoimmune disorder | Disorder in which the body fails to recognize its own cells as "self" and begin to destroy them |
Eczema | An inflammatory skin rash, characterized by itching, redness, weeping, oozing, and crusting, and later by scaling. |
Histamine | A major chemical mediator involved in the allergic response
An amine found inall body tissues that stimulates dilation of small blood vessels and production of gastric juice. |
Hives | swollen patches on the skin as a result of an allergic reaction |
Induration | A hardened place, a lump as in the skin in a positive reaction to a TB test |
Immunogen | A substance capable of initiating or stimulating an immune response |
Immunosuppression | Referring to deliberate suppression of the natural immune system, as in chemotherapy for cancer |
Leukotrienes | Chemical mediators which are 100 to 1000 times more potent than histamine in causing bronchospasm. released by mast cells they initiate the inflammatory response causing contraction of smooth muscle , constriction of the bronchi, and secretion of mucus |
Non--organ specific | A disease that affects one or more organs |
Organ-specific | Having an effect only on a particular organ |
Urticaria | An allergic skin reaction characterized by superficial wheals and often accompanied by severe itching; also called HIVES |
Wheals | A smooth, slightly elevated skin area, usually pale in the center with a reddened periphery, often accompanied by severe itching when caused by an allergic reaction; small elevation caused by injection of an intradermal medication, such as the PPD |
Monoclonal Antibodies( MOAB) | Produced by genetically fusing cancer cells with normal cells. They are highly specific antibodies that seek out, and bind to specific targets on cancer cells causing apoptosis |