path/o
disease
blast/o
embryo
mut/a
change
nod/o
node
onc/o
tumor
ana-
prefix
up, apart
apo-
prefix
away from
dys-
prefix abnormal
(not para-)
ecto-
prefix
outer
endo-
prefix
within
extra-
prefix
outside
hyper-
prefix
excessive
meso-
prefix
middle
meta-
prefix
beyond, change
neo-
prefix
new
-carcinoma
suffix
cancer of epithelial origin
-genesis
suffix
production, origin
-oma
suffix
tumor, mass
-plasia
suffix
condition of formation
-plasm
suffix
formation
-ptosis
suffix
falling
-sarcoma
suffix
connective tissue cancer
-stasis
suffix
controlling, stopping
AFP
tumor marker
increased levels may indicate liver or testicular cancer
B2M
tumor marker
beta-2 microglobulin
levels are elevated in multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia
BTA
tumor marker
bladder tumor antigen
present in the urine of patients with bladder cancer
CA125
tumor marker
used for ovarian cancer detection and management
CA15-3
tumor marker
levels are measured to determine the stage of breast cancer
CA19-9
tumor marker
levels are elevated in stomach, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers
CA27-29
tumor marker
used to monitor breast cancer; especially useful in testing for reoccurrences
CEA
tumor marker
monitors colorectal cancer when the disease has spread or after treatment to measure the patient's response
hCG
tumor marker
used as a screen for choriocarcinoma and testicular and ovarian cancers
NSE
tumor marker
used to measure the stage and/or patient's response to treatment of small cell cancer and neuroblastoma
en bloc resection
removal of the cancerous tumor and the lymph nodes
lumpectomy
removal of the tumor only
lymph node dissection
removal of clinically involved lymph nodes
lymph node mapping
determines a pattern of spread from the primary tumor site through the lymph nodes
sentinel node
first node in which lymphatic drainage occurs in a particular area
radical mastectomy
removal of the breast containing the cancer, along with the lymph nodes and the muscle under the breast
margins
borders of normal tissue surrounding the cancer
wide margin resection
cancer is removed with a significant amount of tissue around the tumor to ensure that all cancer cells are removed
margins negative = no cancer cells seen
margins positive = cancer cells detected by the pathologist
simple mastectomy
removal of the breast containing the cancer
3DCRT
3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy
targeted radiation therapy that uses digital diagnostic imaging and specialized software to treat tumors without damaging surrounding tissue
brachytherapy
the use of radiation placed directly on or within the cancer through the use of needles or beads containing radioactive gold, cobalt, or radium
gamma knife surgery
a noninvasive type of surgery that uses gamma radiation to destroy a brain tumor
IMRT
intensity-modulated radiation therapy
high-dosage radiation delivered via a beam that changes its dosage and shape
bone marrow transplant
abbr BMT
patients who are incapable of producing healthy blood cells are given bone marrow from a matching donor to stimulate normal blood cell growth
chemotherapy
circulation of cancer-destroying medicine throughout the body
may also be used as an adjuvant to other forms of treatment to relieve symptoms or slow down the spread of cancer
CAM techniques
complementary and alternative medicine techniques include prayer, massage, diet, exercise, and mind-body techniques constitute the majority of CAM methods
immunotherapy
use of the body's own defense system to attack cancer cells
vaccines
two are currently in use to prevent specific cancers
hep B vaccine prevents hep B with its sequelae of liver cancer and cirrhosis
cervical cancer vaccine protects a woman against strains 16 and 18 of the human papilloma virus
alkylating agents
drugs that interfere with DNA replication to lead to cancer cell death or dysfunction
cisplatin, carmustine, cyclophosphamide
antimetabolites
drugs that replace compounds that cancer cells need to grow and/or replicate
5-FU
antineoplastic antibiotics
drugs that prevent or delay cell replication
doxorubicin, dactinomycin
antineoplastic hormones
drugs that interfere with receptors for growth-stimulating proteins
flutamide, tamoxifen
interleukins
drugs that stimulate cells of the immune system to boost attacks on cancer cells
aldesleukin
mitotic inhibitors
drugs that prevent cell division
paclitaxel
vinca alkaloids
drugs that prevent formation of chromosome spindles necessary for cell duplication
vincristine, vinblastine