SALIVARY-GLAND-CANCER
May 26th, 2008 by admin
Part II: Cancer Terms to Know: Newly Diagnosed
October 23, 2006
This is the second in a four-part series of articles designed to help people with cancer understand commonly used oncology terms. The following article defines cancer terms that you may hear your doctor use if you are newlydiagnosed with cancer.
Acute: Symptoms that start and worsen quickly but do not last over a long period of time.
CBC (complete blood count): A test to check the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood. Platelets are the components of blood that help it to clot.
Chronic: A disease or condition that persists or progresses over a long period of time.
In situ: Cancer that has not spread to nearby tissue. Also called non-invasive cancer.
Invasive cancer: Cancer that has spread outside the layer of tissue in which it started and is growing in other tissues or parts of the body. Also called infiltrating cancer.
Localized cancer: Cancer that is confined to the area where it started and has not spread to other parts of the body.
Neutropenia: An abnormal decrease in the number of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that fights infection.
Prognosis: Chance of recovery; a prediction of the outcome of a disease.
Protocol: An action plan for how a clinical trial will be carried out. It states the goals and timeline of the study, who is eligible to participate, what treatments and tests will be given and how often, and what information will be gathered.
Regimen: A treatment plan that includes which treatments and procedures will be done, medications and their doses, the schedule of treatments, and how long the treatment will last.
Stage: A measurement given or a diagnosis that describes the size of the original tumor and identifies whether the tumor has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
Standard of care: A set of common guidelines that is followed for the diagnosis and treatment of a certain type of disease.
Additional resources
National Cancer Institute—Dictionary of Cancer Terms
American Cancer Society—Glossary
More Information
Read more articles in this four-part series.
Part I: Cancer Terms to Know: Basic Oncology Terms
Part III: Cancer Terms to Know: During Treatment
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