anaplasia
carcinogens
Agents that cause cancer: chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses.carcinomaCancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin.
immunotherapy
Cancer treatment using immune cells and antibodies to kill tumor cells
sarcoma
Cancerous tumor derived from connective or flesh tissue.
carcinoma
Cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin.
mutation
Change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell; may be caused by chemicals, radiation, or viruses or may occur spontaneously.
antibiotics
Chemotherapeutic drugs found in bacteria and fungi, which cause breaks in DNA strands to inhibit cell division.
radiation
Energy carried by a stream of particles.
invasive
Having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue.
virus
Infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host's genetic material to make copies of itself.
anaplasia
Loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive cell type.
modality
Method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation.
neoplasm
New growth; benign or malignant tumor.
benign tumor
Noncancerous growth (neoplasm).
remission
Partial or complete disappearance of symptoms of disease.
genetic screening
Patients and family members are tested to determine whether they have inherited a cancer-causing gene.
apoptosis
Programmed cell death. (Apo- means off, away; -ptosis means to fall.) Normal cells undergo apoptosis when damaged or aging. Some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo apoptosis, and they live forever.
brachytherapy
Radiotherapy that uses insertion of sealed containers into body cavities or radioactive seeds directly into the tumor.
relapse
Recurrence of tumor after treatment.
radiosensitive tumor
Tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells without serious damage to surrounding tissue.
metastasis
Spread of a malignant tumor to a secondary site; literally, beyond (meta-) control (-stasis).
staging of tumors
System of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors. An example is the TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) system.
radiotherapy
Treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation oncology.
chemotherapy
Treatment with drugs.
malignant tumor
Tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasiveness, and metastasis.
stereotactic radiosurgery
radiosurgeryTechnique in which a single large dose of radiation is delivered under precise 3D guidance to destroy vascular abnormalities and small brain tumors.