Q
QS21: A plant extract that can improve the ability of the immune system to respond to disease, often used with vaccine therapy.
quality of life: The overall enjoyment of life. Many clinical trials measure aspects of a patient's sense of well-being and ability to perform various tasks to assess the effects that cancer and its treatment have on the patient.
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R
radiation surgery: A radiation therapy technique that delivers a single high dose of radiation directly to the tumor while sparing the healthy tissue. Also called radiosurgery and stereotactic external beam irradiation.
radiation therapy: Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy radiation from x-rays and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or from materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) that are placed inside the body in the area where the cancer cells are found (internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy involves giving a radioactive substance, e.g., a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the entire body.
radioactive iodine: A radioactive form of the chemical element iodine often used for imaging tests or as a treatment for cancer.
radioactive particles: Substances that emit, or give off high levels of energy.
radioimmunotherapy: Treatment with a radioactive substance that is linked to an antibody that will attach to the tumor when injected into the body.
radioisotope: An unstable molecule that releases radiation as it decays. Can be used in testing or as treatment.
radiolabeled: An antibody that has been joined with a radioactive substance (often iodine).
radiosensitization: The use of a drug to make cells more sensitive to radiation therapy.
raltitrexed: An investigational chemotherapy drug that inhibits tumor cells from multiplying by interfering with cells' ability to make DNA. Also called ICI DI 694 and Tomudex.
randomized clinical trial: A study in which participants are assigned by chance to separate groups that compare different treatments. Using chance to assign people means that the groups will be similar and the treatments they receive can be compared. At the time of the trial, there is no way for the researchers to know which of the treatments is best. It is the patient's choice to be in a randomized trial or not.
ras gene: A gene that has been found to cause cancer when it is altered (mutated). Agents that block its activity may stop the growth of cancer. A ras peptide is a protein fragment produced by the ras gene.
rebeecamycin: A drug that interferes with tumor cell DNA and inhibits tumor growth.
recurrence: The return of cancer after it had apparently completely disappeared.
recurrent cancer: Cancer that has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the site of the original cancer or in another part of the body.
refractory cancer: Cancer that does not respond to treatment.
regimen: A treatment plan that specifies the dosage, the schedule, and the duration of treatment.
regional cancer: Refers to cancer that has grown beyond the organ of origin to regional lymph nodes and/or organs and tissues next to the original site.
relapse: Cancer that has come back after it has been treated.
remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer. When this happens, the disease is said to be "in remission." A remission may be temporary or permanent.
reproductive system: In women, this system includes the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the uterus (womb), the cervix, and the vagina (birth canal). The reproductive system in men includes the prostate, Couper's gland, the testes, and the penis. This system is responsible in producing offsprings.
"rescue": After high-dose chemotherapy in a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant, the patient is given back their own stem cells or a donor's stem cells to re-build their immune system. The patient is "rescued" from being susceptible to infections and diseases due to the absence of a functional immune system.
resected: Surgically removed.
residual disease: Cancer cells that remain after attempts have been made to remove the cancer.
retinoid: Vitamin A or a vitarnin A-like compound.
retroviral vector: RNA from a virus that is used to insert genetic material into cells.
rigors: A symptom sometimes associated with cancer treatment which involves a feeling or sensation of shivering, trembling or shaking.
risk factor: Anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.
RMP-7: A drug that allows chemotherapy drugs (such as carboplatin) to reach tumors in the brain.
RPR 109881A: Belongs to a group of anticancer drugs called taxanes.
RSR: A drug that increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy. Also called RSR- 1 3.
RSR-13: A drug that increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy.
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S
salvage chemotherapy: Chemotherapy given after the primary treatment has failed to eliminate all of the cancer or when the cancer returns after having been in remission.
samarium 153: A radioactive substance used in cancer therapy.
sarcoma: A cancer of the bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels or other connective tissue.
SBR grade: A histologic grading system by which tumor cells are grouped based on their appearance when compared with normal cells.
SCH-58500: An investigational drug that inhibits the growth of tumor cells that express the mutated p53 gene.
second-look surgery: Surgery performed after primary treatment to determine whether tumor cells remain.
secondary tumor: Cancer that has spread from the organ in which it first appeared to another organ. For example, breast cancer cells may spread (metastasize) to the lungs and cause the growth of a new tumor. When this happens, the disease is called metastatic breast cancer and the new tumor is called a secondary tumor.
sentinel lymph node: The lymph node closest to the primary tumor. Cancer cells may appear first in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes.
sequential: One treatment after the other.
Sezary syndrome: A form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a cancerous disease that affects the skin.
sialyl TN-KLH: A vaccine composed of a substance that enhances immunity plus an antigen commonly found on some tumors of the colon, breast, lung, ovary, pancreas and stomach.
sirolimus: A drug used to help prevent rejection of organ and bone marrow transplants by the body.
skin testing: Testing for an immune response to a compound by placing it on or under the skin.
Sn-117m DTPA: A radioactive chemical used to treat bone pain associated with cancer.
soft tissue: Soft tissue refers to fat or muscle.
solid tumor: Cancer of body tissues other than blood, bone marrow, or the lymphatic system.
somatostatin: A substance that stops the release of certain hormones.
sperm banking: Freezing and storing of sperm for future use. This procedure can allow men to father children after the loss of fertility.
sperm cells: The male reproductive cells responsible for fertilizing an egg cell.
spleen: An organ that is part of the lymphatic system. The spleen produces lymphocytes, filters the blood, stores blood cells, and destroys those that are aging. It is located on the left side of the abdomen near the stomach.
squamous cell: A layer of cells that covers internal and external surfaces of the body.
stable disease: Cancer that is not decreasing or increasing in scope or severity.
stage: The extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body. Staging refers to the determination of the extent of cancer.
stage I Hodgkin's disease: Cancer is found in only one lymph node area or in only one area or organ outside the lymph nodes.
stage I non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Cancer is found in only one lymph node area or in only one area or organ outside the lymph nodes.
stage 11 Hodgkin's Disease: Cancer is found in two or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs that helps one breathe), or cancer is found in only one area or organ outside of the lymphatic system and in the lymph nodes around it. Other lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm may also have cancer.
stage 11 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Cancer is found in two or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm (the muscle under the lungs that helps breathing). Cancer is found in only one area or organ outside the lymph nodes and in the lymph nodes around it. Other lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm may also have cancer.
stage III Hodgkin's disease: Cancer is found in lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs that helps one breathe). The cancer may have also spread to an area or organ near the lymph node areas and/or to the spleen.
stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Cancer is found in lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm. The cancer may also have spread to an area or organ near the lymph node areas and/or to the spleen.
stage IV Hodgkin's disease: Cancer has spread in more than one place to an organ or organs outside the lymph system, or cancer has spread to only one organ outside the lymph system, but lymph nodes far away from that organ are involved. Cancer cells may or may not be found in the lymph nodes near these organs.
stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Cancer has spread to more than one organ or organs outside the lymph system. Cancer cells may or may not be found in the lymph nodes near these organs. Cancer has spread to only one organ outside the lymph system, but lymph nodes far away from that organ are involved.
standard induction chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs that are given as the first step toward shrinking the cancer and considered the most effective for a particular type of lymphoma. Additional therapy usually follows to eliminate any remaining cancer.
stem cells: The cells from which all blood cells develop from, such as the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.
sterility: The inability to produce children.
steroid therapy: Treatment with corticosteroid drugs to reduce swelling, pain, and other symptoms of inflammation.
streptavidin: A bacterial protein that is used in a two-step process of treating patients with radiolabeled biotin (a vitamin). A monoclonal antibody that finds tumor cells is given with streptavidin that attaches to the radioactive biotin.
strontium chloride Sr 89: An injectable, radioactive compound that is absorbed by the bone, and used to relieve cancer pain.
strontium: A metal often used in a radioactive form for imaging tests or as a treatment for cancer.
strontium-89: An injectable, radioactive compound that is absorbed by the bone, and used to relieve cancer pain.
SU101: An anticancer drug.
subcutaneous port: The placement of a catheter into a vein to receive fluids, including chemotherapy drugs, that will be administered repeatedly or over a period of time.
subcutaneous: Beneath the skin.
sulindac: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) being tested in clinical trials for its ability to prevent cancer.
supplementation: Adding nutrients to the diet, usually in high doses.
support group: A group of patients with similar disease who meet to discuss how better to cope with their cancer and/or treatment.
suppository: A small solid body shaped for introduction into one of the orifices of the body other than the oral cavity, made of a substance, usually medicated, which is solid at ordinary temperatures but melts at body temperature.
supraclavicular lymph nodes: Lymph nodes located above the clavicle or "collar bone."
supratentorial: Located in the upper part of the brain.
systemic therapy: Treatment that reaches and affects cells throughout the body.
systemic: Affecting the entire body.
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T
T cells: One type of white blood cell that attacks virus-infected cells, foreign cells, and cancer cells. They also produce a number of substances that regulate the immune response.
T-cell depletion: Treatment to destroy T cells, which play an important role in the immune response. Elimination of T cells from a bone marrow graft from another person may reduce the chance of an immune reaction against the patient's own tissues.
T-cell lymphoma: A disease in which certain cells of the lymph system (called T lymphocytes) become cancerous (malignant).
tacrolimus: A drug to suppress the immune system.
technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid: A radiolabeled substance that is used to help identify sites of tumor development.
tegafur: An investigational anticancer drug.
temozolomide: A chemotherapy drug that interferes with the DNA in cancer cells and prevents them from growing.
teniposide: A chemotherapy drug that inhibits cancer cell growth by interfering with the formation of DNA.
testes: One of the two male reproductive glands, located in the cavity of the scrotum where sperm is developed, stored, and starts its maturation process.
thalidomide: A drug which, if taken in early pregnancy, may cause birth defects. It is also being studied in clinical trials for the treatment of a number of conditions and diseases, including cancer.
thioguanine: A drug used in the treatment of cancer.
thiotepa: Belongs to the group of anticancer drugs called alkylating agents.
thrombocytopenia: A decrease in the number of platelets in the blood.
thymidine: A chemical compound found in DNA. Also used as treatment for mucositis.
tiazofurin: an anticancer drug used to stop cell growth.
tin ethyl etiopurpurin: A drug used in photodynamic therapy; it destroys cancer cells when activated by light. Also called SnET2.
tirapazamine: A drug that makes tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy.
TNP-470: Belongs to a group of drugs known as angiogenesis inhibitors, which block the growth of new blood vessels.
topical: At the surface of the body. Topical chemotherapy, for example, is applied to the skin.
topotecan: Belongs to a group of anticancer drugs known as camptothecin analogues.
total-body irradiation: Radiation therapy to the entire body. Usually followed by bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation.
tracer: A substance, such as a radioisotope, used in imaging procedures to diagnose disease or to see how the body is responding to treatment.
transfusion: The inftision of components of blood or whole blood into the bloodstream.
tretinoin: A drug that inhibits the growth of some types of cancer cells.
tributyrin: A drug used to cause cancer cells to mature into normal blood cells.
trimetrexate glucuronate: An anti-cancer drug used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is resistant to methotrexate.
trimetrexate: An anti-cancer drug used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is resistant to methotrexate.
triptorelin: Belongs to the group of drugs known as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists. Used to block hormone production in ovarian ablation.
tumor infiltrating lymphocytes: White blood cells that have left the bloodstream and migrated into a tumor.
tumor-derived: Taken from a patient's own tumor-tissue; may be used in the development of a vaccine that enhances the body's ability to build an immune response to the tumor.
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U
UCN-01: Belongs to the group of anticancer drugs known as staurosporine analogues.
ultrasound: The use of sound waves to visualize the inside of the body.
ultraviolet radiation: A form of high-energy radiation used in the treatment of cancer.
umbilical cord blood: Blood from the placenta (afterbirth) that contains cells that can grow healthy new bone marrow.
unresectable: Unable to be surgically removed.
uracil: An investigational anticancer drug.
urokinase: A drug that dissolves blood clots or prevents them from forming.
urologist: A doctor who specializes in disease of the urinary organs in females and the urinary and sex organs in males.
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V
vaccination: Treatment with a vaccine.
vaccine: A compound or group of compounds designed to produce an immune response to a tumor or disease.
video-assisted surgery: Surgery that is aided by the use of a video camera which projects and enlarges the tumor on a television screen. Also called video-assisted resection.
vinblastine: Belongs to the group of anticancer drugs known as vinca alkaloids.
vincristine: A chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of cancer.
vindesine: A drug used to stop the growth of tumor cells.
vinorelbine: Belongs to the group of anticancer drugs known as vinca alkaloids. Also known as Navelbine.
virus: Microscopic organisms that cause infectious disease. In cancer therapy, some viruses may be made into vaccines that help the body build an immune response to and kill tumor cells.
visualization: A technique that involves focusing on imagined mental pictures, used for problem-solving, self-healing, or stress-reduction.
VX-710: An investigational drug that is used to help prevent resistance to cancer drugs.
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W
warfarin: An anticoagulant drug. Also called a blood thinner.
watchful waiting: Planned treatment in which the doctor follows your condition closely for any changes, without actual treatment, until symptoms appear. If the situation changes, curative treatments such as surgery or radiation can then be used.
white blood cell: White blood cells have a number of roles in the immune system, including antibody production, attacking and destroying cancer cells, and producing substances that kill cancer cells. Also called lymphocytes.
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X
x-ray: High-energy radiation used in low doses to diagnose diseases and in high doses to treat cancer.
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Z
ziconotide: An investigational drug used in the treatment of chronic pain. Also known as SNX- I 1 1.
zinc oxide: A compound that may enhance immune function, especially when administered by inhalation.
