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Comprehensive Cancer Glossary

Benign – a tumor term used to describe a mass that does not spread or invade other tissue.

Biopsy – a tissue or tumor sample is collected for testing to determine type and stage of cancer.

C

Carcinoma – naming terminology used to describe benign or malignant forms of cancer.

Chemotherapy – Anti-cancer drugs are injected into the blood stream or taken by mouth. The drugs are designed to attack cancer cells and their reproduction process throughout the entire body system, including the blood stream and locations of microscopic tumor cells where tumor was not detected. Some forms of chemotherapy may actually cure certain types of cancer. For lung cancer patients, chemotherapy is often combined with other treatments and only a part of a full treatment plan.

Clinical Trial – also called a "study" -- is one of the final stages of evaluating a new cancer treatment. Clinical trials test all types of treatment including new drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy. Clinical trials offer new hope where standard treatment may have failed or offer modest benefit.

CT Scans – Computed Tomography (or CT or CAT scans) are a sophisticated imaging procedure that uses an external source of radiation to create a detailed view of internal organs. CT uses computers to transform information about how radiation passes through the body to distinguish between different tissues so that tumor sites can be viewed in many dimensions. The procedure is non-invasive and only requires the patient to be still while the machine scans selected locations of the body. Recently, a new low dose spiral CT scan technique has been reported to help find small tumors in high risk smokers and evaluations of this technique to screen high risk smokers are being started nationwide.

E

Endobronchial Stents – Stents are coil-like devices used to prop open airways. Stents may be used in conjunction with radiation and chemotherapy, as well as to aid in breathing and improving lung function.

F

Fiber-optic Bronchoscopy – a flexible tube is inserted through the mouth and down into the lungs to view the air channels and to obtain a tissue sample.

L

Laser Therapy – Using existing laser technology, lung cancer tumors can be minimized, destroyed or used to relieve side affects/complications of lung cancer therapy. Laser therapy is typically used in conjunction with other medical treatments.

Lobectomy – A whole lobe of the lung is removed during this surgical procedure.

M

Malignant – a tumor term used to describe cancer that spreads or invades other tissues/organs.

Mediastinoscopy – a flexible tube is inserted through a small incision in the chest or neck and multiple tissue and lymph node samples are collected for biopsy.

Medical Oncologist – the primary care doctor of cancer medicine. This doctor works with other specialists involved in your treatment to coordinate your overall plan of care and to manage other medical problems in addition to the cancer.

Mesothelioma – is a type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. It originates as abnormal cells that line the chest cavity and cover the surface of the lung, and is often associated with fluid accumulation within the chest cavity.

MRI Scans – Magnetic Resonance Imaging, does not use ionizing radiation or xrays. Instead, this versatile imaging technique uses a magnetic field to create images of the body's internal tissues by taking advantage of the behavior of certain atoms in a magnetic field. Cancerous tissue is different from the surrounding tissue, and MRI is capable of detecting very small tumors. MRI scans can be done without giving any drugs to the patient, but sometimes better results are obtained when a "contrast agent" is used. Contrast agents are not radioactive; however, they are affected by the magnetic field of the MRI machine, improving the ability to distinguish between normal and cancer tissues. The procedure is non-invasive and only requires the patient to be still while the machine scans selected locations of the body

Multi-disciplinary Clinic – New lung cancer cases are seen in Duke Clinic 1C where all specialties of physicians, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and thoracic surgery oncologists are available in one location to see patients. Patients may see one or all three physician groups as well as be evaluated by the clinical nurse specialists. The entire team then discusses together the best way to combine services and treatments to develop the best plan of care for each patient. This close level of teamwork, communication, and cooperation are important to provide the complex multi-modality care that will allow patients to get the best combination of therapies.

N

Neoadjuvant Therapy – Treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy is used prior to surgery with the intentions of treating microscopic tumor cells that may be in circulation as well as to decrease the size of the overall tumor. Following neoadjuvant therapy, surgery is able to complete the resection of the tumor.

Nonsmall Cell Carcinoma – a.k.a.: non-small cell lung cancer – this is the more common form of lung cancer. There are three subtypes of nonsmall cell: squamous cell or epidermoid carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and large cell carcinomas. Nonsmall cell refers to the appearance of the cells as they look under a microscope.

P

Pathologist – Physicians who identify the type of cancer and stage of cancer found in a tumor by observing samples of tissues or body fluids under the microscope and performing special stains and tests to evaluate the type of tumor cells.

PDT – see photodynamic therapy

PET or Positron Emission Tomography – PET is used extensively at Duke to diagnose and stage lung cancer. Prior to the scan, a glucose solution is injected which will localize in the highly metabolically active cells of the body, such as tumor. A non-invasive image is taken of the lung area via a computerized scanner. The resulting images tell physicians key information about the location and spread of the tumor needed to develop a treatment plan.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) – a drug is injected into a lung cancer patient's system that causes only the tumor cells to become sensitive to light. A laser (light) is introduced to the tumor region and the chemical reaction (drug and laser) react to kill off the tumor. This new procedure offers many exciting benefits. Side effects from major surgery, chemotherapy or radiation are avoided. Because of the selective targeting, only the cancer cells are affected and normal surrounding tissue is spared. The long-term prospects for managing incurable cancers is possible unlike the limited use of standard radiation therapy.

Pneumonectomy – a whole lung is removed in surgery.

Pulmonologist – Physicians who specialize in diseases of the lungs (pulmonary) system. (COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, etc.) and lung complications related to treatment (radiation pneumonitis, drug toxicity, chronic cough, etc.). Pulmonary physicians are often the first to see and evaluate patients with suspected lung cancers and are called upon to perform bronchoscopies and other procedures to make a diagnosis. They follow patients through treatment and are available to assist with the treatment of pulmonary conditions if they arise during treatment.

R

Radiation Therapy - The goal of radiation therapy is to kill or reduce the size of tumor making the cancer (or tumor) more susceptible to other forms of treatment (surgery or chemotherapy) and possible eradication from the patient's system. There are many forms of radiation therapy. A Radiation Oncologist will design the best approach and treatment plan for your type of cancer.

Radiation Oncologist – Physicians who specialize in the delivery of radiation, targeting tumors.

Radiologists – Physicians who specialize in imaging tumors so the medical oncologist, surgeons, and radiation oncologists can finely tune a cancer patient's treatment plan..

S

Small Cell Carcinoma – a.k.a., small cell lung cancer is a type of lung cancer that is strongly associated with smoking. Small cell refers to the appearance of the cells as they look under a microscope.

3-D Conformal Radiotherapy – 3-D imaging allows physicians to design more precise radiation treatments for lung cancer patients than ever before. A computerized program allows the Radiation Oncologist to accurately define the size and shape of the tumor, as well as target radiation therapy delivery. By more accurately targeting lung cancer tumors, doctors limit damage to normal surrounding tissue or organs and can increase the amount of radiation delivered to lung cancer tumors.

T

Thoracic Surgery Oncologist – Surgeons with specialized training in the removal of tumors of the chest through surgical procedures, including PDT and minimally invasive surgical techniques such as thorocoscopic procedures which allow surgical resections to occur through a small incision utilizing a scope in the chest cavity.

W

Wedge resection – Surgical procedure that removes only the tumor section of one lobe of the lung.