M3E Oncology Termiology

Question 1

adjuvant chemotherapy

Answer 1

drugs are given after primary therapy (surgery or radiation)

Question 2

alkylating agents

Answer 2

chemotherapeutic synthetic drugs that cross crosslinks and breaks in DNA to stop cells from dividing

Question 3

anaplasia

Answer 3

loss of differentiation of cells

reversion to a more primitive cell type

Question 4

antibiotics

Answer 4

chemotherapeutic drugs found in bacteria and fungi

cause breaks in DNA strands to inhibit cell division

Question 5

antimetabolites

Answer 5

chemotherapeutic agents that block the synthesis of DNA components (nucleotides) and prevent cells from dividing

Question 6

antimitotics

Answer 6

chemotherapeutic chemicals that block the function of a protein necessary for mitosis

Question 7

apoptosis

Answer 7

programmed cell death

some cancer cells have lost the ability to undergo apoptosis, and they live forever

Question 8

benign tumor

Answer 8

noncancerous growth (neoplasm)

Question 9

brachytherapy

Answer 9

radiotherapy that uses insertion of sealed containers into body cavities or radioactive seeds directly into the tumor

Question 10

carcinogens

Answer 10

agents that can cause cancer: chemicals and drugs, radiation, and viruses

Question 11

carcinoma

Answer 11

cancerous tumor made up of cells of epithelial origin

Question 12

chemotherapy

Answer 12

treatment with drugs

Question 13

combination therapy

Answer 13

use of several chemotherapeutic agents together for the treatment of tumors

Question 14

dedifferentiation

Answer 14

loss of differentiation of cells

reversion to a more primitive, embryonic cell type

Question 15

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Answer 15

genetic material within the nucleus of a cell

controls cell division and protein synthesis

Question 16

differentiation

Answer 16

specialization of cells

Question 17

electron beams

Answer 17

low-energy beams of radiation for treatment of skin or surface tumors

Question 18

encapsulated

Answer 18

surrounded by a capsule

benign tumors are encapsulated

Question 19

external beam irradiation

Answer 19

radiation is applied to a tumor from a source outside the body

Question 20

fractionation

Answer 20

giving radiation in small, repeated doses

Question 21

genetic screening

Answer 21

patients and family are tested to determine if they have inherited a cancer causing gene

Question 22

grading of tumors

Answer 22

evaluating the degree of maturity of tumor cells or degree of differentiation

Question 23

gray (Gy)

Answer 23

unit of absorbed radiation dose

Question 24

gross description of tumors

Answer 24

visual appearance of tumors to the naked eye

cystic, fungating, inflammatory, medullary, necrotic, polypoid, ulcerating, or verrucous

Question 25

immunotherapy

Answer 25

cancer treatment using immune cells and antibodies to kill tumor cells E.g CAR T-cell therapy and checkpoint inhibitors

Question 26

infiltrative

Answer 26

extending beyond normal tissue boundaries into adjacent tissues

Question 27

invasive

Answer 27

having the ability to enter and destroy surrounding tissue

Question 28

irradiation

Answer 28

exposure to any form of radiant energy such as light, heat, or x-rays

Question 29

linear accelerator

Answer 29

large electron device that produces high energy x-ray beams for treatment of deep-seated tumors

Question 30

malignant tumor

Answer 30

tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasiveness, and metastasis

Question 31

mesenchymal

Answer 31

embryonic connective tissue The tissue from which connective tissues (bone, muscle, fat, cartilage, and blood cells) arise

Question 32

microscopic description of tumors

Answer 32

appearance of tumors when viewed under a microscope alveolar, carcinoma in situ, diffuse, dysplastic, epidermoid, follicular, papillary, pleomorphic, scirrhous, or undifferentiated

Question 33

mitosis

Answer 33

replication of cells

Question 34

mixed-tissue tumors

Answer 34

tumors composed of different types of tissues (epithelial and connective tissue)

Question 35

modality

Answer 35

method of treatment

Question 36

molecularly targeted therapy

Answer 36

use of drugs to attack specific targets that drive cancer cell growth

Question 37

monoclonal antibodies

Answer 37

antibodies created in a laboratory by special reproductive techniques designed to attack cancer cells directly or to active T cells (or other effector cells) to kill the tumor

Question 38

morbidity

Answer 38

condition of being unwell or deficient in normal function

Question 39

mucinous

Answer 39

containing mucus

Question 40

mutation

Answer 40

change in genetic material of a cell

Question 41

neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Answer 41

drugs are given before primary therapy to reduce the size of a tumor

Question 42

neoplasm

Answer 42

new growth; benign or malignant tumor

Question 43

nucleotide

Answer 43

unit of DNA composed of a sugar, phosphate, and a base

Question 44

oncogene

Answer 44

region of DNA in tumor cells or viruses that cause cancer

Question 45

palliative

Answer 45

relieving but not curing symptoms

Question 46

pedunculated

Answer 46

possessing a stem or stalk (peduncle) characteristic of some polypoid tumors

Question 47

photon therapy

Answer 47

radiation therapy using energy in the form of x-rays or gamma rays

Question 48

protocol

Answer 48

detailed plan for treatment of an illness

Question 49

proton therapy

Answer 49

subatomic positively charged particles produced by a cyclotron deposit a dose of radiation at a tightly focused point in the body

Question 50

radiation

Answer 50

energy carried by a stream of particles

Question 51

radiation fields

Answer 51

dimensions of the area of the body undergoing irradiation

Question 52

radiation therapy

Answer 52

treatment of tumors using does of radiation

Question 53

radiocurable tumor

Answer 53

tumor that is completely destroyed by radiation therapy e.g. early Hodgkin lymphoma

Question 54

radioresistant tumor

Answer 54

tumor that survives large doses of radiation

Question 55

radiosensitive tumor

Answer 55

tumor in which radiation can cause the death of cells without serious damage to surrounding tissues

Question 56

radiosensitizers

Answer 56

drugs that increase the sensitivity of tumors to x-rays

Question 57

radiotherapy

Answer 57

treatment of tumors using doses of radiation

Question 58

relapse

Answer 58

recurrence of a tumor after treatment

Question 59

remission

Answer 59

partial or complete disappearance of symptoms of disease

Question 60

ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Answer 60

cellular substance that represents a copy of DNA and directs the formation of new protein inside cells

Question 61

sarcoma

Answer 61

cancerous tumor derived from connective or flesh tissue

Question 62

serous

Answer 62

having the appearance of thin, watery fluid (serum)

Question 63

sessile

Answer 63

having no stem characteristic of some polypoid tumors

Question 64

simulation

Answer 64

study using CT scan or MRI to map the area to receive treatment before radiotherapy is given

Question 65

solid tumor

Answer 65

tumor composed of a mass of cells

Question 66

staging of tumors

Answer 66

system of evaluating the extent of spread of tumors

Question 67

stereotactic radiosurgery

Answer 67

technique in which a single large dose of radiation is delivered under precise 3D guidance to destroy vascular abnormalities and small brain tumors

Question 68

surgical procedures to treat cancer

Answer 68

methods of removing cancerous tissue: cryosurgery, cauterization, en bloc resection, excisional biopsy, exenteration, fulguration, incisional biopsy

Question 69

viral oncogenes

Answer 69

pieces of DNA from viruses that infect a normal cell and cause it to become malignant

Question 70

virus

Answer 70

infections agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host's genetic material to make copies of itself