Cancer terms

!!! good cancer terms (better prognosis)

• benign

• low grade

• radiosensitive (cancer degenerates in response to radiation)

• no metastases

• well differentiated _{^{(still looks like OG source tissue)}}

• negative nodes

• in remission

• surgically resectable

!!! bad cancer terms

• malignant

• high grade

• radioresistant (cancer has partial/no response to radiation)

• metastases

• poorly differentiated _{^{(tissue has more primitive structure, may not resemble its OG tissue)}}

• positive nodes

• relapse

• inoperable (tumor deeply enmeshed in normal tissues → can’t safely cut out w/o severe damage to normal tissues)

carcinoma vs. sarcoma

most common, from sheets of cells that cover a surface/line a body cavity
vs.
rare form of cancer affecting connective/supportive tissues (bone, fat, muscle, etc.)

Staging cancer

T - size of tumor
N - whether it has spread into lymph nodes
M - whether cancer cells have metastasized to other organs/areas
ex: melanoma T2N0M0 = skin cancer that is btwn 1.0-2.0mm thick, has not spread into lymph nodes or other areas of the body

!!! (flip)
Fractionation: a treatment radiation dose is broken down into multiple exposures over several weeks to minimize side effects

Chemotherapy helps kill/stop development of rapidly dividing cells (attacks cancer and includes hair follicles and lining cells of stomach/intestines)

remission=holding the cancer in check
relapse=cancer reoccurs

surgery cancer terms

!!! missed on final quiz

• phlebotomy - procedure to withdraw blood sample from a vein

• apnea - total arrest & cessation of breathing

• arthralgia - painful joints

• peritonitis - inflammation of the lining membrane of the abdominal cavity