Cancer treatment — surgery and chemotherapy

Surgery for cancer

Removal of a tumor or cancerous tissue

Debulking procedure

Removal of as much of the primary tumor mass as possible

Adjuvant therapy

Additional treatment given after primary treatment

Adjuvant chemotherapy

Chemotherapy given after primary treatment to help destroy residual cancer cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Chemotherapy given before primary treatment to reduce tumor size

Cauterization

Destruction of tissue by burning, heat, or chemicals

Core needle biopsy

Removal of a core of tissue using a large-bore needle

Cryosurgery

Destruction of tissue using subfreezing temperatures

En bloc resection

Removal of a tumor along with surrounding tissue that may contain lymph nodes or areas of spread

Excisional biopsy

Removal of a tumor and a margin of normal tissue for examination

Exenteration

Extensive removal of a tumor, its organ of origin, and surrounding tissue

Fine needle aspiration (FNA)

Use of a thin needle to extract cells from a tumor for microscopic evaluation

Fulguration

Destruction of tissue using electric sparks generated by a high-frequency current

Incisional biopsy

Removal of a portion of a tumor for examination and diagnosis

Chemotherapy

Treatment of cancer using drugs

Combination chemotherapy

Use of two or more chemotherapy drugs together

Chemotherapy protocol

Written plan specifying the route, schedule, and frequency of drug doses

Complete remission

Absence of signs of disease

Alkylating agents

Drugs that create chemical bonds and breaks in DNA, interfering with cell division

Antibiotics in chemotherapy

Drugs that damage DNA strands and inhibit cell division

Antimetabolites

Drugs that block synthesis of DNA components and prevent cell division

Antimitotics

Drugs that block proteins necessary for mitosis

Hormonal agents

Drugs that block hormone receptors or reduce hormone production to inhibit tumor growth

Molecularly targeted therapy

Use of drugs to attack specific targets driving cancer growth