Learn more about the differences between cancer stages, specifics about the spread of cancer, and more.
View the cancer terminology below, sorted into four categories.
Refers to symptoms that start and worsen quickly but do not last over a long time.
Non-cancerous. Benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body.
The soft, spongy tissue found in the centre of large bones where blood cells are formed.
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells with damaged DNA continue to divide without control.
Any substance that causes cancer.
An assessment that a research finding will have practical effects on patient care.
Refers to a disease or condition that persists, often slowly, over a long time.
A group of individuals who share a common experience, exposure, or trait and who are under observation in a research study.
Any range of therapies that do not fall part of conventional treatments, but can be used alongside those conventional treatments to treat disease, injury and illness.
A co-payment is an amount that your medical aid scheme requires you to pay from your own pocket for a specific medical treatment or procedure.
To fully restore health. This term is sometimes used when a person's cancer has not returned for at least five years after treatment. However, the concept of “cure” is difficult to apply to cancer because undetected cancer cells can sometimes remain in the body after treatment, causing the cancer to return later, called a recurrence. Recurrence after five years is still possible.
The measure of time after treatment during which no sign of cancer is found. This term can be used for an individual or for a group of people within a study. This term is usually used in the context of scientific research.
The length of time after primary treatment for a cancer has ended, that the patient remains free of complications or events that the treatment was meant to prevent or delay.
Cancerous. Malignant tumours can spread to other parts of the body.
An abnormal mass of tissue resulting from excessive cell division. Also, called a tumour.
The study of cancer.
A measurable result or effect.
Any expense not covered by a medical aid that a patient must pay.
A growth of normal tissue that usually sticks out from the lining of an organ, such as the colon.
A tendency to develop a disease that can be triggered under certain conditions. For example, although a genetic predisposition to cancer increases a person's risk of developing cancer, it is not certain that the person will develop it.
Describes the original cancer.
Rapid growth.
The likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery or recurrence.
The length of time during and after treatment that the cancer does not grow or spread further. This term is often used in the context of scientific research.
Cancer that has returned after a period during which the cancer could not be detected. “Local recurrence” means that the cancer has come back to the same general area where the original cancer was located. “Regional recurrence” refers to cancer that has come back in the lymph nodes or other tissues near the original cancer site, usually by direct spread. “Distant recurrence” refers to cancer that has come back and has spread to other parts of the body, usually by traveling through the lymph system or bloodstream.
The disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer but not necessarily the entire disease. The disappearance can be temporary or permanent.
Describes a new primary cancer (different type of cancer) that develops after treatment for the first type of cancer.
Care that experts agree or guidelines show is the most appropriate and/or effective for a specific type and stage of cancer.
This term means different things to different people. Two common definitions include having no disease after the completion of treatment and the process of living with, through and beyond cancer.
A substance found in blood, body fluids or tissues that may indicate the presence of certain cancers e.g. PSA (prostate-specific antigen) or CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) identified in colorectal, lung and breast cancer. The presence of tumour markers may also indicate the extent of the spread of cancer or that the cancer has recurred. However patients with proven malignancies may have normal markers and therefor there is controversy as to whether tumour markers should be used for routine screening.
A registered nurse with experience in cancer nursing care.
A medical doctor with additional qualifications in oncology. An oncologist is qualified to diagnose and treat tumours.
A registered nurse with additional qualifications in oncology nursing science.
A doctor who specialises in interpreting laboratory tests and evaluating cells, tissues, and organs to diagnose disease.
A professional who helps patients with cancer and their family members cope with everyday tasks and challenges before, during, and after treatment. Social workers, who may work for a hospital, a service agency, or a local government, can help address financial problems, explain insurance benefits, provide access to counselling, and more.
A tumour is a solid mass of tissue that forms when abnormal cells group together. Tumours can affect many different types of tissue, organs and glands. Not all tumours are cancerous (malignant) although they may still require some sort of treatment. It is very important to get an accurate diagnosis and identify the type of tumour found.
Adenoma tumours are benign tumours that are originated in the glandular tissue.
Blastoma tumours are malignant tumours that originate in the embryonic tissue that have not yet developed a specialised function (mostly causing cancers in children).
There are four types of blastoma tumours:
Carcinoma tumours are malignant tumours that originate in the epithelial tissue. Epithelial tissues form the covering of all body surfaces, line body cavities and hollow organs and are the major tissue found in glands.
There are three types of carcinoma tumours:
Fibroma tumours are benign tumours that are originated in the fibrous tissue.
Germ cell tumours are benign or malignant tumours that originate in the gonads (testicles and ovaries). They may be composed of several tissue types.
Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells (leucocytes) originating in the bone marrow.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphocytes (T-cells or B-cells) originating in the lymphatic tissues.
Myeloma is a malignant tumour that originates in the plasma cells of the bone marrow.
Sarcoma is a malignant tumour that originates in the connective tissues
There are five types of sarcoma tumours:
A cell is the basic unit of all life. Our adult human bodies are made up of trillions of cells which are grouped together according to their function, to form our tissues. There are 4 main types of tissue in our bodies: muscle, epithelial, nervous and connective tissues..
An embryo that has developed for 5-7 days and is made up of 2 distinct types of cells (outer mass and inner mass cells) and a central fluid-filled cavity.
Either of the two cells formed from the process of mitosis.
Red blood cells.
White blood cells.
Refers to cells that have the potential to become cancerous. Also called pre-malignant.
Platelets
This type of treatment usually refers to chemotherapy or radiation therapy given after surgery, usually given to treat micro-metastasis.
A drop of blood is smeared onto a glass slide and reviewed under a microscope by the laboratory technologist or pathologist.
A bone marrow transplant (or haematopoeitic stem cell transplant) is a medical procedure done to replace damaged or diseased bone marrow cells with the healthy equivalent.
The use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
This type of treatment combines surgery with other treatment modalities such as radiation treatment or chemotherapy.
A research study that tests new treatments and/or prevention methods to find out whether they are safe, effective, and possibly better than the current standard of care (the best known treatment).
Medical examinations and tests the doctor recommends after the active treatment period. This care is used to monitor a patient’s recovery and check for signs of recurrence.
Treatment that removes, blocks, or adds hormones to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. It is also called hormonal therapy or endocrine therapy.
A procedure that creates pictures of internal body parts, tissues, or organs to make a diagnosis, plan treatment, find out whether treatment is working, or observe a disease over time.
A type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defences to fight the cancer. It uses materials made either by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. It may also be called biologic therapy.
A procedure that evaluates a sample of blood, urine, or other substance from the body to make a diagnosis, plan treatment, check whether treatment is working, or observe a disease over time.
Treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, given before surgery to shrink the tumour and therefore make is easier to remove.
This type of treatment is used to relieve distressing symptoms caused by the disease or manage side effects of treatment used to treat the disease. The aim is to improve quality of life.
Involves the removal of the tumour with an adequate margin of surrounding healthy tissue. This is to reduce the amount of cancer in the body. Sometimes the tumour, as well as regional lymph nodes and lymph vessels, need to be removed. The first lymph node that the cancer is likely to have spread to from the primary tumour, is known and the sentinel lymph node.
The use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells. The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy, which is radiation given from a machine outside the body. When radiation treatment is given using implants near the cancer cells, it is called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy.
A treatment plan that includes expected treatments and procedures, medications and their doses, the schedule of treatments, and how long the treatment will last.
This type of treatment is given after the cancer has not responded to other treatments or where there has been a local recurrence.
The process of checking whether a person has a disease or has an increased chance of developing a disease when the person has no symptoms.
Health care given by a doctor who has been trained in treating a specific type of health problem or specific group of people. For instance, an oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer.
A way of describing cancer, such as where it is located, whether or where it has spread, and whether it is affecting the functions of other organs in the body.
The removal of cancerous tissue from the body through an operation.
Treatment that targets specific genes, proteins, or other molecules that contribute to cancer growth and survival.
Programmed cell death.
A sample of cells or tissue is taken for examination under a microscope.
The process whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells.
The study of cells using a microscope.
The formation of blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).
The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another.
Cell division.
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