Oncology Flashcards
adjuvant chemotherapy
drugs are given AFTER primary therapy (surgery or radiation). adjuvant means to assist
alkylating agents
chemotherapeutic synthetic drugs that cause crosslinks and breaks in DNA to stop cells from dividing
anaplasia
loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive cell type
antibiotics
chemotherapeutic drugs found in bacteria and fungi, which cause breaks in DNA strands to inhibit cell division
antimetabolites
chemotherapeutic agents that block the synthesis of DNA components (nucleotides) and prevent cells from dividing
antimitotics
chemotherapeutic chemicals that block the function of a protein necessary for mitosis
apoptosis
programmed cell death (apo-off/away; -ptosis-fall). normal cells undergo apoptosis when damaged or aging. some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo apoptosis and they live forever
benign tumore
noncancerous growth (neoplasm)
brachytherapy
radiotherapy that uses insertion of sealed containers into body cavities or radioactive seeds directly into the tumor
carcinogens
agents that cause cancer: chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses
carcinoma
cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin
chemotherapy
treatment with drugs
combination chemotherapy
use of several chemotherapeutic agents together for the treatment of tumors
dedifferentiation
loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive, embryonic cell type; anaplasia or undifferentiation
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
genetic material within the nucleus of a cell; controls cell division and protein synthesis
differntiation
specialization of cells
electron beams
low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors
encapsulated
surrounded by a capsule; benign tumors are encapsulated
External beam irradiation
radiation is applied to a tumor from a source outside the body
fractionation
giving radiation in small, repeated doses
genetic screening
patients and family members are tested to determine whether they have inherited a cancer-causing gene
grading of tumors
evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells or degree of differentiation
gray (Gy)
unit of absorbed radiation dose
gross description of tumors
visual appearance of tumors to the naked eye: cystic, fungating, infammatory, medullary, necrotic, polypoid, ulcerating, or verrucous
immunotherapy
cancer treatment using immune cells and antibodies to kill tumor cells; i.e- CAR T-cell therapy and checkpoint inhibitors
infiltrative
extending beyond normal tissue boundaries into adjacent tissues
invasive
having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue
irradiation
exposure to any form of radiant energy such as light, heat, or x-rays
linear accelerator
large electronic device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors
malignant tumor
tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasiveness, and metastasis
mesenchymal
embryonic connective tissue (mes-middle, enchym/o-to pour). this is the tissue from twhich connective tissues (bone, muscle, fat, cartilage, and blood cells) arise.
metastasis
spread of a malignant tumor to a secondary site; literally, beyond (meta-) control (-stasis)
microscopic description of tumors
appearance of tumors when viewed under a microscope: alveolar, carcinoma in situ, diffuse, dysplastic, epidermoid, follicular, papillary, pleomorphic, scirrhous, or undifferentiated
mitosis
replication of cells; a stage in a cell’s life cycle involving the production of two identical cells from a parent cell
mixed-tissue tumors
tumors composed of different types of tissue (epithelial as well as connective tissue)
modality
method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation
molecularly targeted therapy
use of drugs to attack specific targets (mutations) that drive cancer cell growth
monoclonal antibodies
these are antibodies created in a laboratory by special reproductive (cloning) techniques. they are designed to attack specific cancer cells directly or to activate T cells (or other effector cells ) to kill the tumor
morbidity
condition of being unwell or deficient in normal function
mucinous
containing mucus (a thick whitish secretion)
mutation
change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell; may be caused by chemicals, radiation, or viruses or may occur spontaneously
neoadjuvant chemotherapy
drugs are given BEFORE primary therapy (surgery or radiation) to reduce the size of a tumor
neoplasm
new growth; benign or malignant tumor
necleotide
unit of DNA (gene) composed of sugar, phosphate, and a base. the sequence or arrangement of nucleotides on a gene is the genetic code
oncogene
region of DNA in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses that cause cancer (viral oncogene). oncogenes are designated by a three letter name, such as able, erb, jun, my, ras, and src.
palliative
relieving but not curing symptoms
pedunculated
possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle); characteristic of some polypoid tumors
photon therapy
radiation therapy using energy in the form of x-rays or gamma rays
protocol
detailed plan for treatment of an illness
proton therapy
subatomic positively charged particles (protons) produced by a cyclotron deposit a dose of radiation at a tightly focused point in the body
radiation
energy carried by a stream of particles
radiation fields
dimensions of the area of the body undergoing irradiation
radiation therapy
treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation oncology; radiotherapy
radiocurable tumor
tumor that is completely destroyed by radiation therapy; i.e- early Hodgkin lymphoma
radioresistant tumor
tumor that survives large doses of radiation
radiosensitive tumor
tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells without serious damage to surrounding tissue
radiosensitizers
drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays
radiotherapy
treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation therapy; radiation oncology
relapse
recurrence of tumor after treatment
remission
partial or complete disappearance of symptoms of disease
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
cellular substance that represents a copy of DNA and directs the formation of new protein inside cells
sarcoma
cancerous tumor derived from connective or flesh tissue
serous
having the appearance of a thin, water fluid (serum)
sessile
having no stem; characteristics of some polypoid tumors
simulation
study using CT scan or MRI to map the area or receive treatment before radiotherapy is given
solid tumor
tumor composed of a mass of cells
staging of tumors
system of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors; i.e-TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) system
stereotactic radisrugery
technique in which a single large doses of radiation is delivered under precise 3D guidance to destroy vascular abnormalities and small brain tumors
surgical procedures to treat cancer
cryosurgery, cauterization, en bloc resection, excisional biopsy, exenteration, fulguration, incisional biopsy
viral oncogenes
pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant
virus
infection agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host’s genetic material to make copies of itself
cytogenetic analysis
chromosomes of normal or tumor cells are examined for breaks, translocations, or deletions of DNA.
immunohistochemistry
localization of antigens or proteins in tissues using labeled (colored or fluorescent) antibodies
protein marker tests
measure the level of proteins in the blood or on the surface of tumor cells
