Written By: Dr Anitha Anchan | Updated : April 1, 2015 1:01 PM IST
Cancer: Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the body characterized by an abnormal growth of cells. Normally, cells multiply in the body and die at the end of their lifecycle. In cancer, cells divide rapidly and the growth of cells in the body is out of control. There are many different kinds of cancers and can develop in almost any organ or tissue (lung, colon, skin, breast, bones or nerve tissue).
Cancer surgery: Surgery remains the foundation of cancer treatment. For most of the cancers that are localised and not spread to other parts of the body, surgery is the best chance for a remission. It is also used for cancer diagnosis and staging (tells how far cancer has spread). Surgery may also be used to relieve some of the pain or disability a cancer causes.
Cancer vaccine: They are biological therapies that are used either to treat existing cancer or to prevent the development of cancer in certain high-risk individuals. Cancer treatment vaccines are currently being used to treat advanced prostate cancer and being tested for ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, etc. HPV Vaccines can protect girls and young women against infection with two high-risk types of HPV (HPV 16 and HPV 18) that cause most cervical cancers.
Carcinogen: A carcinogen is any substance capable of causing cancer due to its ability to interfere with biological processes by damaging the DNA or by altering the cellular metabolism. Ionizing radiations emitted by radon gas, radioactive fallout, x-rays and explosions of nuclear weapons are considered carcinogens. Common examples of non-radioactive carcinogens are solvents like benzene, inhaled asbestos, certain dioxins, metals like arsenic, lead, tobacco smoke, etc.
Carcinoma: Carcinomas are cancers that invade surrounding tissues and organs and spread (metastasise) to other sites in the body. Some examples are carcinoma of the breast, prostate, colon, lung, stomach, etc.
Carcinoma in situ: A carcinoma that is localized and has not yet invaded into the surrounding tissue is termed carcinoma in situ. It is a pre-malignant condition that may, if left untreated, progress into a malignant cancer. The cells show signs of malignancy, but histologically there is no sign of invasion through the epithelial basement membrane. Carcinoma in situ is surgically removed to eliminate the risk of its progression into a life-threatening carcinoma. Some examples are ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast, Bowen's disease of the skin, etc.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatment that uses drugs (anticancer drugs) to destroy cancer cells, stops them from spreading and slows their growth is called chemotherapy. Most of them are not specific to cancer cells and target all rapidly dividing cells like bone marrow cells, hair follicles, etc. Chemotherapy may be used to cure the cancer (curative), slow the growth of cancer cells to prevent the cancer from spreading, relieve symptoms of cancer (palliative) or keep the cancer from coming back (adjuvant). It is often used in with other cancer treatments.
Clinical trial: Clinical trials are research studies involving large groups of people that are conducted in medical research and drug development. They are used to evaluate safety and efficacy of drugs, diagnostics or treatments. To conduct a clinical trial satisfactory nonclinical safety has to be established and health authority and/or ethics committee has to approve. In certain types of incurable cancers, it can also be an opportunity for some patients to receive promising new therapies that would otherwise be unavailable.
Combination therapy: Combination therapyis the use of chemotherapy with other cancer treatments like radiotherapy or surgery and are used in the case of most cancers.
Complete remission/response: Complete disappearance of all signs and symptoms of cancer (in physical, radiological, blood or urine test) after treatment is termed a complete remission or complete response. However, it does not mean that the cancer has been 'cured' because there may be microscopic cancer cells that may not be identified with diagnostic techniques. There is a risk of recurrence of cancer at some point in the future.
Consolidation therapy: Consolidation therapy is given following the initial (induction) therapy to kill any cancer cells that may be left in the body to achieve complete remission. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy or stem cell transplant may be used.
CT scan: A procedure that produces detailed images of specific areas of the body using computer-processed X-rays for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A radioactive contrast is injected into the body. The radiation is scanned by computers which create cross-sectional images of the areas. A CT scan produces images of the brain, abdomen, chest, etc. It can also be used for screening and identifying tumours.
Debulking: In some cancers a significant part or most of a tumour is removed with surgery prior to radiotherapy or chemotherapy. This procedure is called debulking. It makes radiation or chemotherapy more effective and helps relieve certain symptoms caused by the tumour mass.
Dysplasia: It refers todevelopmental abnormality of cells and can indicate that a cancer may develop.
Genetic testing: It is a test which analyses DNA samples done to detect the presence of genes known to increase risk of cancer. It is usually recommended for people with family history of cancer or other diseases.
Grading: Classifying cancer cells in terms of their abnormality is called grading. It is done to provide information about how fast a tumour may grow and whether there are chances of its spread. It also helps decide treatment options. Different types of cancers have different grading systems.
Hereditary cancer syndrome: Some cancers areassociated with inherited, mutated genes and tend to occur in multiple family members. Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, Cowden syndrome, familial polyposis, Gardner syndrome, etc. are some of the hereditary cancer syndromes. Mutated genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are associated with hereditary breast & ovarian cancer syndrome.
Hormonal therapy: Inhormone therapy (endocrine therapy) specific hormones or drugs (hormone antagonists) are used to inhibit hormones which cause certain kinds of cancers grow. It is used for cancers of breast, prostate, endometrium, etc.
Immunotherapy: Also called biological therapy or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy, it aims at improving or restoring the ability of the immune system to fight cancer and other diseases. It may also be used to reduce certain side effects caused by some cancer therapies. Monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines are used in immunotherapy. These agents may also directly act on the tumour cells.
Induction therapy: It is also known as first line therapy and is the first treatment given for cancer. The treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The aim of induction therapy is to reduce the number of cancer cells to make the cancer susceptible to additional treatment.
Invasive cancer: If acancer spreads into nearby healthy tissues beyond the layer of cells where it originated, it is called invasive or infiltrating cancer.
Also read: Know your cancer terms A and B
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