Chapter 19: Cancer Medicine (Oncology): Vocabulary

Question 1

adjuvant chemotherapy

Answer 1

Drugs are given after primary therapy (surgery or radiation)

Question 2

alkylating agents

Answer 2

Chemotherapeutic synthetic drugs that cause crosslinks and breaks in DNA to stop cells from dividing

Question 3

anaplasia

Answer 3

Loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive cell type

Question 4

antibiotics

Answer 4

Chemotherapeutic drugs found in bacteria and fungi, which cause breaks in DNA strands to inhibit cell division

Question 5

antimetabolites

Answer 5

Chemotherapeutic agents that block the synthesis of DNA components (nucleotides) and prevent cells from dividing

Question 6

antimitotics

Answer 6

Chemotherapeutic chemicals that block the function of a protein necessary for mitosis

Question 7

apoptosis

Answer 7

Programmed cell death

Normal cells undergo apoptosis when damaged or aging. Some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo apoptosis, and they live forever

Question 8

benign tumor

Answer 8

Noncancerous growth (neoplasm)

Question 9

brachytherapy

Answer 9

Radiotherapy that uses insertion of sealed containers into body cavities or radioactive seeds directly into the tumor

Question 10

carcinogens

Answer 10

Agents that cause cancer: chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses

Question 11

chemotherapy

Answer 11

Treatment with drugs

Question 12

combination chemotherapy

Answer 12

Use of several chemotherapeutic agents together for the treatment of tumors

Question 13

dedifferentiation

Answer 13

Loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive, embryonic cell type; anaplasia or undifferentiation

Question 14

deoxyribonucleic acid

DNA

Answer 14

Genetic material within the nucleus of a cell; controls cell division and protein synthesis

Question 15

differentiatino

Answer 15

Specialization of cells

Question 16

electron beams

Answer 16

Low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors

Question 17

encapsulated

Answer 17

Surrounded by a capsule; benign tumors are encapsulated

Question 18

external beam irradiation

Answer 18

Radiation is applied to a tumor from a source outside the body

Question 19

fields

Answer 19

Dimensions of the area of the body undergoing radiation

Question 20

fractionation

Answer 20

Giving radiation in small, repeated doses

Question 21

genetic screening

Answer 21

Patients and family members are tested to determine whether they have inherited a cancer-causing gene

Question 22

grading of tumors

Answer 22

Evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells or degree of differentiation

Question 23

gray

Answer 23

Unit of absorbed radiation dose

Question 24

gross description of tumors

Answer 24

Visual appearance of tumors to the naked eye

• cystic
• fungating
• inflammatory
• medullary
• necrotic
• polypoid
• ulcerating
• verrucous

Question 25

immunotherapy

Answer 25

Cancer treatment using immune cells and antibodies to kill tumor cells

Question 26

infiltrative

Answer 26

Having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue

Question 27

invasive

Answer 27

Having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue

Question 28

irradiation

Answer 28

Exposure to any form of radiant energy such as light, heat, or x-rays

Question 29

linear accelerator

Answer 29

Large electronic device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors

Question 30

malignant tumor

Answer 30

Tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasiveness, and metastasis

Question 31

mesenchymal

Answer 31

Embryonic connective tissue This is the tissue from which connective tissues (bone, muscle, fat, cartilage, and blood cells) arise

Question 32

metastasis

Answer 32

Spread of a malignant tumor to a secondary site

Question 33

microscopic description of tumors

Answer 33

Appearance of tumors when viewed under a microscope - alveolar - carcinoma in situ - diffuse - dysplastic - epidermoid - follicular - papillary - pleomorphic - scirrhous - undifferentiated

Question 34

mitosis

Answer 34

Replication of cells; a stage in a cell's life cycle involving production of two identical cells from a parent cell

Question 35

mixed-tissue tumors

Answer 35

Tumors composed of different types of tissue (epithelial as well as connective tissue)

Question 36

modality

Answer 36

Method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation

Question 37

molecularly targeted therapy

Answer 37

Use of drugs to attack specific targets (mutations) that drive cancer cell growth

Question 38

morbidity

Answer 38

Condition of being unwell or deficient in normal function

Question 39

mucinous

Answer 39

Containing mucus (a thick whitish secretion)

Question 40

mutation

Answer 40

Change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell; may be caused by chemicals, radiation, or viruses or may occur spontaneously

Question 41

neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Answer 41

Drugs are given before primary therapy (surgery or radiation) to reduce the size of a tumor

Question 42

neoplasm

Answer 42

New growth; benign or malignant tumor

Question 43

nucleotide

Answer 43

Unit of DNA (gene) composed of a sugar, phosphate, and a base. The sequence or arrangement of nucleotides on a gene is the genetic code

Question 44

oncogene

Answer 44

Region of DNA in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses that cause cancer (viral oncogene)

Question 45

palliative

Answer 45

Relieving but not curing symptoms

Question 46

pedunculated

Answer 46

Possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle); characteristic of some polypoid tumors

Question 47

photon therapy

Answer 47

Radiation therapy using energy in the form of x-rays or gamma rays

Question 48

protocol

Answer 48

Detailed plan for treatment of an illness

Question 49

proton therapy

Answer 49

Subatomic positively charged particles (protons) produced by a cyclotron deposit a dose of radiation at a tightly focused point in the body

Question 50

radiation

Answer 50

Energy carried by a stream of particles

Question 51

radiocurable tumor

Answer 51

Tumor that is completely destroyed by radiation therapy

Question 52

radioresistant tumor

Answer 52

Tumor that survives large doses of radiation

Question 53

radiosensitive tumor

Answer 53

Tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells without serious damage to the surrounding tissue

Question 54

radiosensitizers

Answer 54

Drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays

Question 55

radiotherapy

Answer 55

Treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation oncology

Question 56

relapse

Answer 56

Recurrence of tumor after treatment

Question 57

remission

Answer 57

Partial or complete disappearance of symptoms of disease

Question 58

ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Answer 58

Cellular substance that represents a copy of DNA and directs the formation of new protein inside cells

Question 59

sarcoma

Answer 59

Cancerous tumor derived from connective or flesh tissue

Question 60

serous

Answer 60

Having the appearance of a thing, watery fluid (serum)

Question 61

sessile

Answer 61

Having no stem; characteristic of some polypoid tumors

Question 62

solid tumor

Answer 62

Tumor composed of a mass of cells

Question 63

staging of tumors

Answer 63

System of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors

Question 64

stereotactic radiosurgery

Answer 64

Technique in which a single large dose of radiation is delivered under precise 3D guidance to destroy vascular abnormalities and small brain tumors

Question 65

surgical procedures to treat cancer

Answer 65

Methods of removing cancerous tissue - cryosurgery - cauterization - en bloc resection - excisional biopsy - exenteration - fulguration - incisional biopsy

Question 66

viral oncogenes

Answer 66

Pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant

Question 67

virus

Answer 67

Infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host's genetic material to make copies of itself