Adjuvant therapy:
Chemotherapy drugs (including hormones) given after surgery or radiation or both to help prevent the cancer from coming back.
Alopecia:
Hair loss, usually temporary. Results from the use of chemotherapy drugs.
Anemia:
Having too few red blood cells. Symptoms of anemia include feeling tired, weak, and short of breath.
Anorexia:
Poor appetite, you are unable to eat.
Antiemetic:
A medicine to prevent or control nausea and vomiting.
Benign:
Describes a tumor that is not cancerous.
Biologic therapy:
Treatment that stimulates the body’s immune defense system to fight infection and disease. Also called immunotherapy. Some doctors consider this a type of chemotherapy, but it is usually classified as a separate type of treatment.
Blood cell count:
The number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood. This is also called complete blood count (CBC).
Bone marrow:
The inner, spongy tissue of bones where blood cells are made.
Cancer:
A general term for more than 100 diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control. Also used to refer to a malignant or cancerous tumor.
Catheter:
A thin, flexible tube. Doctors use these to place fluids in your body or as a way for fluids to leave your body.
Central venous catheter:
A special thin, flexible tube placed in a large vein, usually in the chest or neck. It can remain there for as long as it is needed to deliver and withdraw fluids.
Chemotherapy:
The use of drugs to treat disease. The term most often refers to drugs used to treat cancer.
Chromosomes:
Threadlike bodies that carry genetic information. They are found in the nucleus, or center part, of a cell.
Clinical trials:
Medical research studies conducted with volunteers. Each study is designed to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to detect, prevent, or treat cancer.
Combination chemotherapy:
The use of more than one drug to treat cancer.
Gastrointestinal:
Having to do with the digestive tract, which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
Growth factors:
Also known as colony-stimulating factors, growth factors are substances that stimulate the production of blood cells in the bone marrow. They can help the blood-forming tissue recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Hormones:
Natural substances released by an organ that can influence the function of other organs in the body and growth of some types of cancer.
Infusion:
Slow and/or prolonged IV delivery of a drug or fluids.
Injection:
Using a syringe and needle to push fluids or drugs into the body; often called a “shot.”
Intra-arterial:
Into an artery.
Intracavitary:
Into a cavity or space, specifically the abdomen, pelvis, or the chest.
Intralesional:
Into a tumor.
Intramuscular (IM):
Into a muscle.
Intrathecal (IT):
Into the spinal fluid.
Intravenous (IV):
Into a vein.
Malignant:
Cancerous.
Metastasis/Metastasized:
The spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body through the lymph system or bloodstream.
Neoadjuvant therapy:
Chemotherapy drugs (including hormones) given before surgery and/or radiation to shrink a tumor.
Neutropenia:
A decrease in the number of neutrophils (white blood cells that respond quickly to infection) in the blood. If a person has less than 1500/mm3 neutrophils, he or she is considered to be neutropenic and at risk for infection. With less than 500 cells/mm3 the risk of infection is high.
Oncologist:
A physician who specializes in caring for people who have cancer.
Palliative care:
Treatment to relieve symptoms caused by incurable cancer. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably.
Peripheral neuropathy:
A condition of the nervous system that usually begins in the hands and/or feet with symptoms of numbness, tingling, burning and/or weakness. Can be caused by certain anticancer drugs.
Platelets:
Special blood cells that plug up damaged blood vessels and help blood clots to stop bleeding.
Port:
A small plastic or metal container surgically placed under the skin and attached to a central venous catheter inside the body. Blood and fluids can enter or leave the body through the port using a special needle.
Radiation therapy:
The use of high-energy rays or subatomic particles to treat disease. Types of radiation include x-ray, electron beam, alpha and beta particle, and gamma ray.
Red blood cells:
Cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body.
Remission:
The partial or complete disappearance of signs and symptoms of disease
.
Stomatitis:
Sores on the lining of the mouth.
Topical (TOP):
Applied directly to the skin.
Tumor:
An abnormal growth of cells or tissues. Tumors are either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Venous access device (VAD):
A catheter that is surgically implanted under the skin.
White blood cells:
The blood cells that fight infection.
Source: American Cancer Society