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Adjuvant therapy - A treatment method used in addition to the primary therapy. Radiation therapy often is used as an adjuvant to surgery. Chemotherapy also can be considered adjuvant therapy in some cases.
Alopecia - (al-oh-pee-she-ah) Hair loss.
Anesthesia - Loss of feeling or sensation resulting from the use of certain drugs or gases.
Antiemetic - (an-tee-eh-MET-ik) A medicine to prevent or relieve nausea or vomiting.
Benign tumor – Tumor that is not cancerous and does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
Biological therapy - Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. Examples of drugs used in this therapy are interferon and interleukin II. Also called immunotherapy.
Biopsy - The removal of a sample of tissue, which is then examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells. When only a sample of tissue is removed, the procedure is called incisional biopsy; when the whole tumor is removed, it is excisional biopsy. Removing tissue or fluid with a needle is called needle biopsy or needle aspiration.
Blocks - a metal alloy (similar to lead) customized to the individual patient to provide precise blocking around the treatment area.
Brachytherapy - (BRAK-ee-THER-ah-pee) Internal radiation achieved by implanting radioactive material directly into the tumor or very close to it. Sometimes called "internal radiation therapy."
Cancer - A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissue and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
Carcinogen - (kar-SIN-o-jin) A substance or agent that is known to cause cancer.
Catheter - (KATH-e-ter) A thin plastic tube. When a catheter is placed in a vein, it provides a pathway for drugs, nutrients or blood products. Blood samples also can be removed through the catheter.
Chemotherapy - (kee-mo-THER-a-pee) Treatment with anticancer drugs.
Clinical trials - Research studies that involve patient volunteers.
Dietitian - (also registered dietitian) A professional who plans programs for proper nutrition.
Dosimetrist - (do-SIM-uh-trist) A person who plans and calculates the proper radiation dose for treatment.
Electron beam - A stream of particles with limited depth of penetration that produces high-energy radiation to treat cancer.
External radiation - Radiation therapy that uses a machine located outside of the body to aim high-energy rays at cancer cells.
Gamma rays - High-energy rays that come from a radioactive source such as cobalt-60.
Gray - A measurement of absorbed radiation dose; 1 Gray=100 rads.
High dose rate remote brachytherapy (HDR) - A type of internal radiation in which each treatment is given in a few minutes while the radioactive source is in place. The source of radioactivity is removed between treatments. Known as high dose rate remote radiation therapy.
Hyperfractionated radiation - Division of the total dose of radiation into smaller doses that are given more than once a day.
Implants - A small container of radioactive material placed in or near a cancer.
Internal radiation / Brachytherapy - Internal radiation achieved by implanting radioactive material directly into the tumor or very close to it.
Interstitial radiation - A radioactive source (implant) placed directly into the tissue (not in a body cavity).
Intracavitary radiation - A radioactive (implant) placed in a body cavity such as the chest cavity or the vagina.
Linear accelerator - A machine that creates high-energy radiation to treat cancers, using electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles. Also called mega-voltage (MeV) linear accelerator or a linac.
Malignant - (ma-LIG-nant) Cancerous.
Medical oncologist - A doctor who specializes in using chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Metastasis (meh-TAS-ta-sis) - The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Cells in the metastatic (secondary) tumor are like those in the original (primary) tumor.
Nurse clinician - Registered nurse trained in the care and assessment of oncology patients.
Oncologist - A doctor who specializes in treating cancer can be surgical, medical or radiation oncologist.
Oncology - The study of tumors.
Palliative care - Treatment to relieve, rather than cure, symptoms caused by cancer. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably.
Physical therapist - A health professional trained in the use of treatments such as exercise and massage.
Platelets - Special blood cells that help stop bleeding.
Port film - A radiograph (X-ray) taken on the treatment machine to verify the treatment field.
Positioning device - Aids in positioning and duplicating position from day to day. May be sutom made from the individual patient.
Prosthesis - An artificial replacement of a part of the body. Example: hip joint.
Rad - Short form of "radiation absorbed dose;" a measurement of the amount of radiation absorbed by tissues (100 rad=1 gray or 1 rad=1 centigray)
Radiation - Energy carried by waves or a stream of particles.
Radiation oncologist - A doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer.
Radiation physicist - A person trained to ensure that the radiation machine delivers the right amount of radiation to the treatment site.
Radiation therapist - A person with specialized training who runs the equipment that delivers the radiation.
Radiation therapy - The use of high-energy penetrating rays or subatomic particles to treat disease. Types of radiation include x-ray, electron beams, alpha and beta particles and gamma rays. Radioactive substances include cobalt, radium, iridium and cesium. (See gamma rays, brachytherapy, teletherapy and x-ray).
Radiotherapy - See radiation therapy.
Remote brachytherapy - See high dose rate remote brachytherapy.
Simulation - A process involving special x-ray pictures that are used to plan radiation treatment so that the area to be treated is precisely located and marked.
Tattoo - In many cases the skin marks may be replaced with tattoos after the first few days of treatment. Tattoos are very small permanent marks placed at the corner and center of the treatment field. These tattoos are more reliable and provide medical information for the future about the area that was treated.
Teletherapy - Treatment in which the radiation source is at a distance from the body. Linear accelerators and cobalt machines are used in teletherapy.
Treatment port or field - The place on the body at which the radiation beam is aimed.
Tumor - An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are either benign or malignant.
Unsealed internal radiation therapy - Internal radiation therapy given by injecting a radioactive substance into the bloodstream or a body cavity. This substance is not sealed in a container.
White blood cells - Cells that help the body fight infection and disease.
X-rays - High-energy radiation used in low doses to diagnose disease or injury and, in high doses, to treat cancer. |
