Common terms

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.