Chapter 19 Pronunciation of Terms – Flashcards

Flashcard maker : August Dunbar
adjuvant therapy
assisting primary treatment. Drugs are given early in the course of treatment, along with surgery or radiation to attack deposits of cancer cells that may be too small to be detected by diagnostic techniques.
adenocarcinoma
malignant tumor arising in glandular epithelium
alkylating agents
synthetic chemicals containing alkyl groups that attack DNA, causing strand breaks.
anaplasia
loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive cell type.
angiogenesis
process of forming new blood vessels.
antibiotics
chemical substances, produced by bacteria or primitive plants. They inhibit the growth of cells and are used in cancer chemotherapy.
antimetabolites
chemicals that prevent cell division by inhibiting formation of substances necessary to make DNA: used in cancer chemotherapy.
apoptosis
programmed cell death. (Apo- means off, away; -ptosis means to fall.) Normal cells undergo ________ when damaged or aging. Some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo ________ and they live forever.
benign tumor
noncancerous growth (neoplasm).
biological response modifers
substances produced by normal cells that either directly block tumor growth or stimulate the immune system to fight cancer.
biological therapy
use of the body’s own defenses to destroy tumor cells.
brachytherapy
radiotherapy that uses insertion of sealed containers into body cavities or radioactive seeds directly into the tumor.
carcinogens
agents that cause cancer; chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses.
carcinoma
cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin.
cellular oncogenes
pieces of DNA that, when activated by mutations or by dislocation, can cause a normal cell to become malignant.
chemotherapy
treatment with drugs.
combination chemotherapy
use of several chemotherapeutic agents together for the treatment of tumors.
dedifferentiation
loss of differentiation of cells; reversion to a more primitive, embryonic cell type; anaplasia or undifferentiation.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
genetic material within the nucleus of a cell; controls cell division and protein synthesis.
differentiating agents
drugs that promote tumor cells to differentiate, stop growing, and die.
differentiation
specialization of cells.
electron beams
low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors.
encapsulated
surrounded by a capsule; benign tumors are encapsulated.
external beam irradiation
applying radiation to a tumor from a source outside the body.
fields
dimensions of the area of the body undergoing irradiation.
fractionation
giving radiation in small, repeated doses.
genetic screening
family members are tested to determine whether they have inherited a cancer-causing gene.
grading of tumors
evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells or indication of malignant transformation.
gray (Gy)
unit of absorbed radiation dose.
gross description of tumors
visual appearance of tumors to the naked eye: cystic, fungating, inflammatory, medullary, necrotic, polypoid, ulcerating, or verrucous.
infiltrative
extending beyond normal tissue boundaries into adjacent tissues.
invasive
having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue.
irradiation
exposure to any form of radiant energy such as light, heat, or x-rays.
linear accelerator
large electronic device that produces high-energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors.
malignant tumor
a tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasiveness, and metastasis.
mesenchymal
embryonic connective tissue (mes = middle, enchym/o = to pour). This is the tissue from which connective tissues (bone, muscle, fat, cartilage) arise.
metastasis
spread of a malignant tumor to a secondary site; literally, beyond (meta-) control (-stasis).
microscopic description of tumors
appearance of tumors when viewed under a microscope; alveolar, carcinoma in situ, diffuse, dysplastic, epidermoid, follicular, papillary, pleomorphic, scirrhous, or undifferentiated.
mitosis
replication of cells; a stage in a cell’s life cycle involving the production of two identical cells from a parent cell.
mixed-tissue tumors
tumors composed of different types of tissue (epithelial as well as connective tissue).
modality
method of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation.
molecularly targeted drugs
anticancer drugs designed to block the function of growth factors, their receptors, and signaling pathways in specific tumor cells.
morbidity
condition of being unwell or deficient in normal function.
mucinous
containing mucus.
mutation
change in the genetic material (DNA) of a cell; may be caused by chemicals, radiation, or viruses or may occur spontaneously.
neoplasm
new growth; benign or malignant tumor.
nucleotide
unit of DNA (gene) composed of a sugar, phosphate, and a base. The sequence or arrangement of __________s on a gene is the genetic code.
oncogene
region of DNA in tumor cells (cellular oncogene) or in viruses that cause cancer (viral oncogene). ________s are designated by a three-letter name, such as abl, erb, jun, myc, ras, and src.
palliative
relieving but not curing symptoms.
pedunculated
possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle); characteristic or some polypoid tumors.
photon therapy
radiation therapy using energy in the form of x-rays or gamma rays.
protocol
detailed plan for treatment of an illness.
proton therapy
subatomic positively charged particles (protons) produced by a cyclotron deposit a dose of radiation at a tightly focused point in the body.
radiation
energy carried by a stream of particles.
radiocurable tumor
tumor that is destroyed by radiation therapy.
radioresistant tumor
tumor that requires large doses of radiation to be destroyed.
radiosensitive tumor
tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells without serious damage to surrounding tissue.
radiosensitizers
drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays.
radiotherapy
treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation oncology.
relapse
recurrence of tumor after treatment.
remission
partial or complete disappearance of symptoms of disease.
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
cellular substance that represents a copy of DNA and directs the formation of new protein inside cells.
sarcoma
cancerous tumor derived from connective or flesh tissue.
serous
having the appearance of a thin, watery fluid (serum).
sessile
having no stem; characteristic of some polypoid tumors.
simulation
study using CT scan or MRI to map treatment before with radiotherapy is given.
solid tumor
tumor composed of a mass of cells.
staging of tumors
system of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors. An example is the TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) system.
sterotactic radiosurgery
delivery of dose of radiation under sterotactic (highly precise) guidance (Gamma Knife surgery).
steroids
complex, naturally occurring chemicals derived from cholesterol. Some are used in cancer chemotherapy.
surgical procedures to treat cancer
methods of removing cancerous tissue; cryosurgery, cauterization, en bloc resection, excisional biopsy, exenteration, fulguration, incisional biopsy.
viral oncogenes
pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant.
virus
an infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host’s genetic material to make copies of itself.
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