Words Used When Talking About Cancer

Posted: Aug. 1, 2004

Benign: Not cancer.

Biological therapy: Also called immunotherapy. Biological therapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. The immune system finds cancer cells in the body and works to destroy them. Biological therapies are used to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune system’s natural anticancer function. Biological therapy may be given after surgery, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Most biological treatments are given by injection into a vein (IV).

Biopsy: A test where a piece of tissue (a group of cells) is taken from a person’s body and looked at through a microscope to see if the cells are normal. This is one way to see if a person has cancer. A biopsy also can tell what type of cancer a person has.

Cancer: Over 100 diseases where cells that are not normal grow and divide rapidly. They crowd out and destroy normal cells the body needs. Cancer can also spread to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy: The use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be given to destroy any cancerous cells that may remain in the body after surgery, to control tumor growth, or to relieve symptoms of the disease. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection directly into a vein (IV) or by means of a catheter, a thin tube that is placed into a large vein and remains there as long as it is needed. Some anticancer drugs are given in the form of a pill.

Clinical trials: Research studies that evaluate new ways to treat cancer and are an option for many patients with cancer. In some studies, all patients receive the new treatment. In others, doctors compare different therapies by giving the promising new treatment to one group of patients and the usual (standard) therapy to another group.

Diagnosis: Identifying a disease. A diagnosis is based on tests and doctors’ experience and knowledge.

Hematology: The study of the blood, the parts of the body where blood is formed, and blood diseases.

Immune cells: Cells in the body that protect a person from infection and disease.

Lump: A thickness or bump under the skin that can be felt by the fingers, either by the person who has it or by a doctor. Lumps can be a sign of cancer, but most lumps are not cancerous.

Lymphatic system: Certain tissues and organs of the body that make and store cells that fight infection and disease (immune cells). These cells are carried throughout the body in an almost colorless fluid called lymph. Lymph and the vessels that carry lymph fluid also are part of this system.

Malignant: Cancer.

Metastasis: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Metastasis also is the word used for a new tumor caused by the spread of cancer cells.

Oncology: The study and treatment of cancer.

Prognosis: What might happen to a person who has a disease.

Radiation therapy: Also called radiotherapy, this involves the use of high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is a local therapy, meaning that it affects the cancer cells only in the treated area. Doctors may use radiation therapy before surgery (to shrink a tumor so that it is easier to remove) or after surgery (to destroy any cancer cells that remain in the treated area). Radiation therapy is also used to relieve symptoms. The radiation may come from a machine (external radiation) or from an implant (a small container of radioactive material) placed directly into or near the tumor (internal radiation). Some patients have both kinds of radiation therapy.

Recurrence: The return of cancer cells and signs of cancer after a remission.

Relapse: Recurrence.

Remission: The disappearance of cancer symptoms and cells. When this happens, the disease is said to be “in remission.”

Staging: Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body. Staging may involve surgery, X-rays and other imaging procedures, and lab tests.

Tissue: A group of cells that performs a specific function.

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue.

Source: National Cancer Institute

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