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- Acute:
- A sudden onset of symptoms or disease.
- Adenocarcinoma:
- A malignant tumor arising from glandular tissue.
- Adenoma:
- A benign tumor made up of glandular tissue. For example, an adenoma of the pituitary gland may cause it to produce abnormal amounts of hormones.
- Adjuvant therapy:
- A treatment method used in addition to the primary therapy. Radiation therapy often is used as an adjuvant to surgery.
- Adrenal glands:
- Two small organs near the kidneys that release hormones.
- Allogeneic:
- The infusion of bone marrow from one individual (donor) to another.
- Alopecia:
- Hair loss.
- Alpha Cradle:
- A proprietary trade name for foam cast immobilization device to old the patient still during the course of the treatment.
- Analgesic:
- Any drug that relieves pain. Aspirin and acetaminophen are mild analgesics.
- Anemia:
- A condition in which a decreased number of red blood cells may cause symptoms including tiredness, shortness of breath, and weakness.
- Anesthesia:
- Loss of feeling or sensation resulting from the use of certain drugs or gases.
- Antibody:
- A substance formed by the body to help defend it against infection.
- Antiemetic:
- A medicine to prevent or treat nausea or vomiting.
- Antigen:
- Any substance that causes the body to produce natural antibodies.
- Antineoplastic agent:
- A drug that prevents, kills, or blocks the growth and spread of cancer cells.
- Aspiration:
- The process of removing fluid/tissue from a specific area.
- Autoimmunity:
- A condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly fights and rejects the body's own tissues.
- Autologous:
- The infusion of a patient's own bone marrow previously taken and stored.
- Axilla:
- The armpit.
- Axillary nodes:
- Lymph nodes-also called lymph glands-found in the armpit (axilla).
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- Barium enema:
- The use of a milky solution (barium sulfate) given by an enema to allow x-ray examination of the lower intestine.
- Barium swallow:
- The use of a milky solution (barium sulfate) given orally to allow x-ray examination of the upper intestine.
- Basal cell carcinoma:
- The most common type of skin cancer.
- Benign:
- A swelling or growth that is not cancerous, and does not spread from one part of the body to another.
- BID:
- Twice daily treatments.
- Biologic therapy:
- Treatment which stimulates the body's immune defense system to fight infection and disease. Also called immunotherapy.
- Biopsy:
- The removal of a sample of tissue that is examined under a microscope to see if cancer cells are present.
- Block:
- A device made of lead, cerrobend or other heavy metal that is interposed between the radiation beam and a portion of the patient's body that requires protection from the radiation beam. These blocks are known as shielding blocks as they shield the normal tissue from the radiation beam.
- Blood cells:
- Tiny structures made in the bone marrow; they consist of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
- Blood count:
- The number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood.
- Board-Certified:
- Board certification means that a physician has taken and passed rigorous examinations certifying him or her as a specialist in a particular field of medicine, after completing postgraduate training in that field. These examinations are voluntary.
- Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration:
- The procedure by which a needle is inserted into a bone to withdraw a sample of the bone marrow. The sample is then looked at under a microscope to check for the presence or absence of disease.
- Bone marrow suppression:
- A drop in the production number of blood cells.
- Bone marrow transplant:
- The transfer of bone marrow into a patient who has been treated with high dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In some cases, patients may use their own marrow that has been frozen and stored.
- Bone scan:
- A picture of the bones using a radioactive dye that shows any injury, disease, or healing. This is a valuable test to determine if cancer has spread to the bone, if anticancer therapy is successful, and if affected bony areas are healing.
- Breast self-examination (BSE):
- An examination of the breasts the woman can do herself.
- Brachytherapy:
- Internal radiation treatment achieved by implanting radioactive material directly into the tumor or close to it. Some times call internal radiation therapy.
- Bronchogenic carcinoma:
- A cancer originating in the lungs or airways.
- Bronchoscopy:
- The insertion of a flexible, lighted tube through the mouth into the lungs to look at the lungs and airways.
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- Cancer:
- A general term for more than 100 diseases that have uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells that can invade and destroy healthy tissues.
- Cancer in-situ:
- The stage where the cancer is still confined to the tissue in which it started.
- Candidiasis:
- A common fungal or yeast infection.
- Carcinogen:
- A substance that causes cancer. For example, nicotine in cigarettes is a carcinogen that causes lung cancer.
- Carcinoma:
- A kind of cancer that starts in the skin or the lining of organs.
- Cervical carcinoma:
- A cancer of the cervix (part of the uterus opening).
- Endometrial carcinoma:
- A cancer of the lining of the uterus.
- Squamous cell carcinoma:
- A cancer arising from the skin or the surfaces of other structures, such as the mouth, cervix, or lungs.
- Catheter:
- A thin, flexible tube through which fluids enter or leave the body.
- Cellulitis:
- The inflammation of an area of the skin (epithelial layer).
- Cervical nodes:
- Lymph nodes in the neck.
- Chemotherapy:
- The use of drugs to treat cancer
- Adjuvant chemotherapy:
- Chemotherapy given to kill any remaining cancer cells, usually after all detectable tumor is removed by surgery or radio-therapy.
- Combination chemotherapy:
- The use of more than one drug during cancer treatment.
- Chronic:
- Persisting over a long period of time.
- Cobalt 60:
- A radioactive substance sometimes used as a radiation source to treat cancer.
- Colonoscopy:
- A procedure for looking at the colon or large bowel through a lighted flexible tube.
- Colostomy:
- A surgical procedure by which an opening is created between the colon and the outside of the abdomen to allow stool to be emptied into a collection bag.
- Colposcopy:
- Examination of the vagina and cervix with an instrument called a colposcope.
- CT Scan:
- CT is an abbreviation for Computerized Tomography or what used to be called Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scan). The CT scanner equipment adds an additional view of the patient anatomy and tumor. The CT scanner is used only for treatment planning and not for diagnostic purposes.
- Curative:
- This usually indicates that the radiation treatments are being delivered in an attempt to cure the cancer. The end result may not always be a cure however; there is a high enough likelihood of cure that the treatments will be designed with this in mind.
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- Dietician (also registered dietician):
- A professional who plans well balanced diet programs, including special diets to met needs of people with various medical conditions.
- Dosimetrist:
- A person who plans and calculates the proper radiation dose for treatment. Dysphagia:
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Dyspnea:
- Difficult or painful breathing; shortness of breath.
- Dysuria:
- Difficult or painful urination.
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- Electron beam:
- A stream of high-energy particles called electrons used to treat cancer.
- External radiation:
- Radiation therapy that uses a machine located outside of the body to aim high-energy rays at cancer cells.
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- Fluoroscope:
- An instrument for observing the internal structure of an object (as the living body) by means of X-rays.
- Fractionation:
- Dividing the total dose of radiation into smaller does in order to give healthy tissue time to repair itself.
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- Gamma rays:
- High-energy rays that come from a radioactive source such as cobalt-60.
- Gray:
- A measurement of the amount of radiation does absorbed by the body:
- 1 Gray = 100 rads.
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- High-dose rate brachytherapy:
- A type of internal radiation in which each treatment is given in a few minutes while the radioactive source is in place. The source of radioactivity is removed between treatments. Also known as high-dose-rate remote afterloading radiation therapy.
- Hyperfractionated radiation:
- Division of the total dose of radiation into smaller doses that are given more than once a day.
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- Implant:
- A small container of radioactive material placed in or near a cancer.
- Internal radiation:
- A type of therapy in which a radioactive substance is implanted into or close to the area needing treatment. Also called brachytherapy.
- Interstitial radiation:
- A type of internal radiation in which a radioactive source (implant) is placed in a body cavity such as the vagina.
- Intraoperative radiation:
- A type of external radiation therapy used to deliver a large dose of radiation to the tumor and surrounding tissue at the time of surgery.
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- Linear accelerator:
- A machine that creates high-energy radiation to treat cancers, using electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles. Also called mega-voltage (MeV) linear accelerator, or a linac.
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- Malignant:
- Cancerous.
- Medical Oncologist:
- A doctor who is specially trained in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and who specializes in the use of chemotherapy and other drugs to treat cancer.
- Metastasis:
- The spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph system or blood stream.
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- Oncologist:
- A physician who specializes in caring for people who have cancer.
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- Palliative care:
- Treatment to relieve, rather than cure, symptoms caused by cancer. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably.
- Physical therapist:
- A health professional who uses exercise and other methods to restore or maintain the body's strength, mobility, and function.
- Platelets:
- Special blood cells that help stop bleeding.
- Port (also treatment field):
- The area of the body through which external beam radiation is directed in order to reach a tumor.
- Prosthesis:
- An artificial replacement of a part of the body.
- Protraction:
- The period of time during which a course of radiation is given.
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- Rad:
- Short form for "radiation absorbed dose;" a measurement of the amount of radiation absorbed by the body (100 rad = 1 Gray).
- Radiation:
- Energy carried by waves or a stream of particles.
- Radiation physicist:
- A person trained to ensure that the radiation machine delivers the right amount or radiation to the treatment site. Assists the radiation oncologist and dosimetrist in the design, planning, and calculation of the proper dose for radiation treatment.
- Radiation therapist:
- A person with special training to work the equipment that delivers the radiation.
- Radiation therapy:
- The use of high-energy penetrating rays or sub-atomic particles to treat disease. Types of radiation include x-ray, conformal, electron beam, alpha and beta particle, and gamma ray. Radioactive substances include cobalt, radium iridium cesium iodine, and palladium.
- Radiation therapy nurse:
- A registered nurse who has extensive training in oncology and radiation therapy.
- Radiologist:
- A physician with special training in reading and interpreting diagnostic x-rays and performing specialized x-ray procedures.
- Radioresistance:
- When cells do not respond easily to radiation.
- Radiosensitivity:
- How susceptible a cell, cancerous or healthy, is to radiation. Cells that divide frequently are especially radiosensitive and are more affected by radiation.
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- Simulation:
- A process involving special x-ray pictures that are used to plan radiation treatment so that the area to be treated is precisely located and marked.
- Social worker:
- A mental health professional with a master's degree in social work (MSW). A social worker can provide assistance in dealing with medical, psychological, social, and educational needs.
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery:
- The use of external radiation sources either from a linear accelerator (X-knife), or a special Cobalt-60 (Gamma Knife) irradiator to deliver many small beams of radiation, all focused onto an internal structure, such as a brain tumor.
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- Tattoo:
- Skin marks that identifies for the radiation therapists how to set up the treatment field.
- Teletherapy:
- Treatment in which the radiation source is at a distance from the body (external radiation).
- Treatment field (or port):
- The place on the body at which the radiation beam is aimed.
- Tumor:
- An abnormal lump or mass of tissue. Tumors are either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
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- Unsealed internal radiation therapy:
- Internal radiation therapy given by injecting a radioactive substance into the blood stream or a body cavity. This substance is not sealed in a container.
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- Virtual Simulation:
- A technique involving the use of CT images which can be reconstructed to create an exact model, within the computer, of the patients anatomy.
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- Wedge:
- A treatment beam modifying device acting to change the intensity of the treatment beam in a graduated fashion across the width of the treatment portal.
- White blood cells:
- The blood cells that help defend the body against infection.
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- X-ray:
- One form of radiation that can be used at low levels to product an image of the body on film or at high levels to destroy cancer cells.
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