Vital Signs, Medical Terminology, and Radiation Therapy Practice

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering vital signs, medical terminology, head and neck cancer, thoracic oncology, breast cancer, and radiation therapy documentation procedures.

Vital Signs

Measurements taken during physical assessment used to monitor a patient's basic bodily functions, specifically including blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature.

Body Temperature

The physiological balance maintained between the heat produced by body tissues and the heat lost to the external environment.

Hypothalamus

The control center located in the brain that regulates body temperature, where variations of $2^\text{--}3^\text{ F}$ can initiate physiological alterations.

Pyrexia

A fever or elevation of body temperature above normal limits, frequently resulting from an infection.

Hypothermia

A body temperature falling below normal limits; it can also be medically induced to lower the body's oxygen demands.

Pulse

The palpable throbbing of an artery created when the heart pumps blood into the arterial system.

Tachycardia

An abnormally rapid pulse rate defined as greater than $100\,\text{bpm}$.

Bradycardia

An abnormally slow pulse rate defined as less than $60\,\text{bpm}$.

Respiration

The physiological exchange of oxygen and $\text{CO}_2$ between the external environment and the circulating blood.

Cyanosis

A bluish discoloration of the skin caused by deficient oxygen levels in the blood.

Blood Pressure

The pressure exerted by circulating blood pushed out by the left ventricle during systole against the peripheral resistance of systemic circulation.

Systolic Blood Pressure

The peak blood pressure reached when the left ventricle contracts and pumps blood into the aorta.

Diastolic Blood Pressure

The lowest blood pressure reached within the arteries when the ventricles relax.

Dyspnea

Difficult or labored breathing, commonly described as shortness of breath.

Hemoptysis

The act of coughing up blood or blood-tinged mucus from the respiratory tract.

Orthopnea

Difficulty breathing while lying flat that is relieved by assuming an upright sitting position.

Apnea

The temporary cessation or absence of breathing.

Hypoxemia

An abnormally low concentration of oxygen in arterial blood.

Hyperventilation

Breathing faster or deeper than what is required to satisfy the body's metabolic needs.

Expectoration

The coughing up and spitting out of material, such as mucus or phlegm, from the respiratory tract.

Stridor

A harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound produced by turbulent airflow through a narrowed upper airway.

Atelectasis

The complete or partial collapse or incomplete expansion of lung tissue.

Pneumonitis

Inflammation of lung tissue.

Radiation Pneumonitis

Inflammation of lung tissue specifically induced by radiation exposure.

Esophagitis

Inflammation of the mucosal lining of the esophagus.

Mucositis

Inflammation and potential ulceration of mucous membranes lining the digestive tract, often an acute adverse effect of radiation therapy.

Xerostomia

Dryness of the mouth caused by reduced or absent salivary flow, or the subjective sensation of oral dryness.

Dysphagia

Difficulty or pain experienced during the process of swallowing.

Odynophagia

Severe or painful swallowing.

Trismus

A restricted ability to open the mouth caused by tonic spasms of the masticatory muscles; commonly referred to as lockjaw.

Osteoradionecrosis

Death of bone tissue resulting from radiation-induced vascular damage and ischemic injury.

Lymphedema

Localized tissue swelling caused by the accumulation of lymph fluid due to impaired lymphatic drainage.

Hypothyroidism

A condition characterized by subnormal or reduced production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland.

Thrush

A fungal or yeast infection of the oral cavity typically caused by Candida species.

Alopecia

The loss of hair from parts of the body where it normally grows, localized in radiation therapy to treated areas.

Dermatitis

Inflammation of the skin, frequently manifested as radiation dermatitis during radiation therapy.

Dysgeusia

A distortion or impairment of the normal sense of taste.

Time Out

A mandatory audible verification performed before delivering radiation treatment to confirm patient identity, site, and treatment parameters.

Policy

An official plan, set of rules, or guiding principle adopted by a government, business, or organization to make decisions and achieve specific goals.

Procedure

A specific, established, or correct way of doing something through a series of ordered steps.

Emergency Off

A safety interlock that completely terminates electrical power to the entire linear accelerator unit, used in catastrophic scenarios such as fire, smoke, or major electrical hazards.

Emergency Stop

A safety feature that shuts off the radiation beam and halts all mechanical gantry and collimator motion without cutting main facility power, allowing treatment to be resumed once verified safe.

Squamous Cell Carcinomas (Head and Neck)

Malignant neoplasms arising from the mucosal lining of the upper aerodigestive tract, representing about $80\%$ of all head and neck cancers.

Epidemiology

The branch of medicine studying patterns of incidence, distribution, and how frequently diseases occur within different population groups.

Etiology

The underlying cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or pathological condition.

Carina

The internal cartilaginous ridge located at the bifurcation of the trachea into the right and left primary bronchi, anatomically situated at the $T_4\text{--}T_5$ vertebral level.

Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (SVCS)

An oncologic medical emergency caused by external tumor compression of the superior vena cava that impedes venous blood return from the head, neck, and upper extremities.

Mesothelioma

A rare and aggressive neoplasm originating in the mesothelial cells that line the pleura and chest wall, strongly linked to asbestos exposure.

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)

A non-invasive, pre-cancerous condition where malignant epithelial cells are confined within the lactiferous breast ducts without invading the basement membrane.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)

The most common form of breast cancer ($70\%\text{--}80\%$ of cases), originating in the milk ducts and breaking through the ductal basement membrane into surrounding tissue.

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT)

A specialized technique delivering a single concentrated dose ($10\text{--}20\,\text{Gy}$) of low-energy ($50\,\text{kV}$) X-rays directly to the surgical tumor bed during a lumpectomy prior to closing the incision.

Dry Desquamation

A radiation-induced skin reaction typically emerging around $4000\,\text{cGy}$ ($40\,\text{Gy}$), characterized by shedding, dryness, peeling, and flaking of the superficial epidermis.

Moist Desquamation

A severe radiation skin reaction typically occurring after $5000\,\text{cGy}$ ($50\,\text{Gy}$), involving the loss of both superficial and deep epidermal layers, resulting in painful, red, moist skin with serous exudate.

Gross Tumor Volume (GTV)

The gross demonstrable extent and location of malignant growth that is clinically palpable or visible on diagnostic imaging scans.

Clinical Target Volume (CTV)

The tissue volume encompassing the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) plus an added margin to account for subclinical, microscopic disease spread.

Internal Target Volume (ITV)

The target volume created by adding a margin to the CTV to account for internal physiologic variations in tumor shape, size, and position during the respiratory cycle.

Planning Target Volume (PTV)

A geometric concept encompassing the CTV or ITV plus an additional margin that accounts for patient setup variations and mechanical machine tolerances.