Glossary

Adjuvant therapy – Treatment given after the primary treatment to increases the chances of a cure. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy may be included.

Advance Directives – A legal document that states the treatment or care a person wishes to receive or not receive if he or she becomes unable to make medical decisions (for example, due to being unconscious or in a coma). Some types of advance directives are living wills and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders.

American College of Radiology (ACR) –The mission of the ACR is to serve patients and society by maximizing the value of radiology, radiation oncology, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and medical physics by advancing the science of radiology, improving the quality of patient care, positively influencing the socio-economics of the practice of radiology, providing continuing education for radiology and allied health professions and conducting research for the future of radiology. See www.acr.org.

American College of Surgeons (ACoS) – A scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. See www.facs.org.

American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) – Established in 1959 to formulate and publish systems of classification of cancer, including staging and end results reporting, which will be acceptable to and used by the medical profession for selecting the most effective treatment, determining prognosis, and continuing evaluation of cancer control measures. Staging classification examples: T – Tumor Extent; N – Nodal Status; M – Metastasis. See www.cancerstaging.org.

Biopsy – The removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. There are many different types of biopsy procedures. The most common types include: (1) incisional biopsy, in which only a sample of tissue is removed; (2) excisional biopsy, in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed; and (3) needle biopsy, in which a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle. When a wide needle is used, the procedure is called a core biopsy. When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Benign – Not cancerous. Benign tumors may grow larger but do not spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer – A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer.

Carcinoma - begins in the skin or tissues that line or cover internal organs.

Sarcoma - begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other

connective or supportive tissue.

Leukemia - starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes

large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the

blood.

Lymphoma and multiple myeloma - begin in the cells of the immune system.

Central nervous system cancers - begin in tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Chemotherapy – Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.

Clinical Trial – A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Also called a clinical study.

Commission on Cancer (CoC) – a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care. Established by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) in 1922, the multidisciplinary CoC establishes standards to ensure quality, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care delivery in health care settings; conducts surveys in health care settings to assess compliance with those standards; collects standardized data from CoC-accredited health care settings to measure cancer care quality; uses data to monitor treatment patterns and outcomes and enhance cancer control and clinical surveillance activities, and develops effective educational interventions to improve cancer prevention, early detection, cancer care delivery, and outcomes in health care settings. See www.facs.org/cancer.

Disease free survival – The length of time after treatment for a specific disease during which a patient survives with no sign of the disease. Disease-free survival may be used in a clinical study or trial to help measure how well a new treatment works.

Hormonal therapy (treatment) – Treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones. For certain conditions (such as diabetes or menopause), hormones are given to adjust low hormone levels. To slow or stop the growth of certain cancers (such as prostate and breast cancer), synthetic hormones or other drugs may be given to block the body’s natural hormones. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove the gland that makes a certain hormone. Also called endocrine therapy.

Localized – Restricted to the site of origin, without evidence of spread.

Lumpectomy – Surgery to remove the tumor and a small amount of normal tissue around it.

Lymph node – A rounded mass of lymphatic tissue that is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue. Lymph nodes filter lymph (lymphatic fluid), and they store lymphocytes (white blood cells). They are located along lymphatic vessels. Also called lymph gland.

Mammogram – An x-ray of the breast.

Mastectomy – Surgery to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible).

Metastasized – Spread from one part of the body to another. When cancer cells metastasize and form secondary tumors, the cells in the metastatic tumor are like those in the original (primary) tumor.

Microcalcification – A tiny deposit of calcium in the breast that cannot be felt but can be detected on a mammogram. A cluster of these very small specks of calcium may indicate that cancer is present.

MRI – A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures can show the difference between normal and diseased tissue. MRI makes better images of organs and soft tissue than other scanning techniques, such as computed tomography (CT) or x-ray. MRI is especially useful for imaging the brain, the spine, the soft tissue of joints, and the inside of bones. Also called magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and NMRI.

National Consortium of Breast Centers – A non-profit membership organization whose mission and purpose is to "to promote excellence in breast health care for the general public through a network of diverse professionals dedicated to the active exchange of ideas and resources including: 1) To serve as an informational resource and to provide support services to those rendering care to people with breast diseases through educational programs, newsletters, a national directory, and patient forums; 2) To encourage professionals to concentrate and specialize in activities related to breast disease; 3) To encourage the development of programs and centers that address breast disease and promote breast health; 4) To facilitate collaborative research opportunities on issues of breast health; and 5) To develop a set of core measures to define, improve and sustain quality standards in comprehensive breast programs and centers."

Neoadjuvant therapy – Treatment given before the primary treatment. Examples of neoadjuvant therapy include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy.

PET scan – Positron emission tomography scan. A procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is used. Because cancer cells often use more glucose than normal cells, the pictures can be used to find cancer cells in the body.

Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) – An electronic and ideally filmless information system for acquiring, sorting, transporting, storing, and electronically displaying medical images.

Prognosis – The likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery or recurrence.

Radiation – Energy released in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. Common sources of radiation include radon gas, cosmic rays from outer space, and medical x-rays.

Sentinel (lymph) node – The first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor. When cancer spreads, the cancer cells may appear first in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes.

Staging – Performing exams and tests to learn the extent of the cancer within the body, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body. It is important to know the stage of the disease in order to plan the best treatment.

Stereotactic biopsy – A biopsy procedure that uses a computer and a 3-dimensional scanning device to find a tumor site and guide the removal of tissue for examination under a microscope.

Ultrasound – A procedure in which high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) are bounced off internal tissues or organs and make echoes. The echo patterns are shown on the screen of an ultrasound machine, forming a picture of body tissues called a sonogram. Also called ultrasonography.

Ultrasound guided biopsy – Imaging techniques play an important role in helping doctors perform breast biopsies, especially of abnormal areas that cannot be felt but can be seen on a conventional mammogram or with ultrasound.

Sources:

American College of Surgeons

American College of Radiology

American Joint Committee on Cancer

Commission on Cancer

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: www.pubmedcentra.nih.gov

National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of Health: www.cancer.gov/dictionary