Listed here are some commonly used oncology terms.

adjuvant therapy:  treatment used in addition to and following the primary treatment to cure, reduce, control or palliate the cancer.

anemia:  a condition in which there is a deficit a deficit of red blood cells produced by the bone marrow.  Anemia can also be the result of cancer treatment.

antibodies: a protein produced by the body's immune system to fight infection or harmful foreign substances.

antiemetic:  a medication to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting, a fairly common side effect of chemotherapy.

antigen: a foreign substance in the body such as protein, bacteria, virus, pollen and other materials,  Antigens stimulate the body to produce antibodies, which them fight them.

autologous bone marrow transplant:  removal, storage, treatment and restoration of the bone marrow of a cancer patient.  It can be done as a treatment and/or as a method to enhance treatment.  For example, in leukemia, the marrow is removed from the patient, purged (removal of cancer cells), and then returned to the patient.

benign tumor:  an abnormal, non cancerous growth of tissue that does not spread to other parts of the body as a cancerous tumor can do.

biological response modifiers:  any agent that boosts the body's immune system by stimulating it, modifying it, or restoring it.

biological therapy/immunotherapy:  the newest anticancer treatment, which uses biological response modifiers, the body's own immune system, to fight cancer.

biopsy: the microscopic examination of tissue or cells removed from the body to determine if cancer cells are present.

bone marrow:  the inner, spongy substance in the center of the bone that produces all of the red blood cells and platelets and most of the white blood cells.

bone marrow transplantation:  a supportive treatment in which a cancer patient's bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow.

bone scan:  an image taken after the injection of a tracer radioactive substance into the blood which carries it to the bones.  Cancerous areas in the bone where cells are dividing rapidly will pick up more of the radioactive substance, resulting in "hot spots" on the developed film image.

cancer: a general term for more than 100 different diseases characterized by the uncontrolled abnormal growth of cells.

chemotherapy:  the treatment or control of cancer using anticancer drugs that destroy cancer cells by interfering with their growth or reproduction.

clinical trials:  a systematic evaluation of a possible new cancer treatment conducted with cancer patients after the treatment has had some benefits in animal testing or laboratory testing.

CT/CAT scan:  a diagnostic procedure combining an x-ray with a computer to produce highly detailed cross-sectional images of the body.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): one of the two nucleic acids found in all cells.  DNA is the part of a cell that contains and controls all the genetic information, the thousands of genes necessary to reproduce it.  The genes are responsible for passing on traits from generation to generation.

dysphagia:  difficulty or pain when swallowing.

flow cytometry:  a procedure that uses a laser-powered instrument to measure the amount of DNA in cells.  It may be used to evaluate risk of the recurrence of some cancers. An abnormal amount of DNA may indicate a greater risk of recurrence.

hormone therapy:  the use or manipulation of hormones to treat disease.

hospice: the program for caring for patients who are terminally ill.  The focus of hospice care is not to cure the patient, but to improve the quality of life.

hyperthermia therapy:  an investigational procedure that uses heat to kill cancer cells or make them more sensitive to chemotherapy and/or radiation.

in situ/noninvasive cancer:  earliest stage of cancer, confined to the original site.

interferon:  a class of protein produced in minuscule amounts by infected cells that appear to boost the immune system and its ability to fight cancer.

invasive cancer:  a stage of cancer in which cancer cells have spread to healthy tissue adjacent to the tumor.

lumpectomy:  removal of a cancerous breast lump and the surrounding tissue.

lymph node:  one of many small, bean-shaped organs of the immune system linked by lymphatic vessels throughout the body.  They make and store many different immune cells that fight infections.

lymphedema:  an accumulation of fluid that may collect in the arms or legs when the lymph vessels or lymph nodes are blocked or removed, which can result from the treatment of cancer.

lymphocytes:  a type of white blood cell which are the most important cells in the immune system.

malignant tumor:  cancerous tumor, likely to penetrate the tissues or organ in which it originated as well as move to other sites.

mammogram:  an x-ray procedure used in the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer which can reveal a tumor in the breast long before it can be felt.

mastectomy:  surgical removal of the breast.

metastasis:  the transfer of disease from one part of the body to another.

MRI:  a technique used in the diagnosis and evaluation of disease and to monitor the recurrence of cancer.  MRI produces internal pictures of the body using powerful electromagnets, radio frequency waves and a computer.

neoplasm:  an abnormal growth or tumor.

oncology:the study of cancerous tumors.

palliative treatment:  the use of medical remedies to relieve pain, symptoms, and/or prevent further complications, rather than to cure.

platelets:  blood cells that help the blood to clot.

primary cancer:  the original site where cancer occurs.

prostate specific antigen (PSA):  a protein in the blood produced by prostate tissue that serves as a tumor marker.

protocol: the outline or plan of treatment.

radiation therapy:  the use of high energy penetrating rays or subatomic particles to treat or control disease.

radical prostatectomy:  surgical removal of the prostate and surrounding tissue.

recurrence:  relapse, reappearance of an illness and its symptoms after treatment.

red blood cells:  the blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body.

remission:  the decrease or disappearance of disease.

spinal tap:  removal of a small amount of fluid that bathes the brain and the spinal cord for microscopic examination for cancer cells or other conditions.

stomatitis:  mucositis, mouth sores.  Inflammation of the soft tissues in the mouth resulting in mouth sores.  It is a common side effect of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and some biological therapies.

tumor:  an abnormal tissue growth or mass on or in the body that serves no useful purpose which can be benign or malignant.

tumor marker:  a chemical substance found in increased amounts in the body fluids of some cancer patients.  The presence of a tumor marker in the blood for a specific cancer can be an indication t that cancer is present in the body.  Tumor markers can be used as part of the diagnostic process, but generally cannot provide a definitive diagnosis.  Tumor markers are also used to monitor the progress of treatment as well as possible recurrence of cancer after it has been treated.

white blood cells:  a general term for a variety of cells in the blood that play a major role in the body's immune system.  A low level of white blood cells can make a person susceptible to infections.