Oncology

alveol/o

small sac

cac/o

bad

carcin/o

cancer, cancerous

cauter/o

burn, heat

chem/o

chemical, drug

cry/o

cold

cyst/o

sac of fluid

fibr/o

fibers

follicul/o

small glandular sac

fung/i

fungus, mushroom

medull/o

soft, inner part

mucos/o

muscous membrane

mut/a

genetic change

mutagen/o

causing genetic change

necr/o

death

neur/o

nerve

onc/o

tumor

papill/o

nipple-like

plas/o

formation

ple/o

many, more

polyp/o

polyp

prot/o

first

radi/o

rays

sarc/o

flesh, connective tissue

scirrh/o

hard

xer/o

dry

epi-

upon

meta-

beyond; change

tele

far

-blastoma

immature tumor

-genesis

formation

-oma

mass, tumor

-plasia or -plasm

formation, growth

-suppression

to stop

-therapy

treatment

ana-

backwards

apo-

off, away

brachy-

short (distance)

cancer

unrestrained and excessive growth of cells; more common in people over the age of 55; 1/3 of cancer deaths are due to obesity, physical inactivtity, and poor nutrition

tumor

(mass of cells) malignant or benign

malignant tumor

multiply rapidly; invasive and infiltrative; undifferentiated; metastasize

benign tumor

grow slowly; encapsulated; differentiated; doesn’t spread

undifferentiated

highly abnormal cells and have lost most characteristics of the original tissue; cells are immature; malignant

differentiated

closley resemble normal cells; cells are more mature and specialized; benign

examples of common benign tumors

acoustic neuroma, seborrheic keratoses, nasal polyps, tuberous sclerosis, uterine fibroids, meningioma, vocal cord nodules (polyps and cysts)

carcinogenesis

transformation of a normal cell to a cancerous one; damage to genetic material (affects mitosis & protein synthesis — mutation)

mutagen/o

causing genetic death

carcin/o

cancer forming

environmental agents (carcinogenesis)

chemical carcinogens (cigarette smoke, exhaust, insecticides, etc), radiation (sun, x-rays), viruses (RNA and DNA), oncogenes (ras/colon cancer, myc/lymphoma, and abl/chronic myelogenous leukemia)

histogenesis

identifying the particular type of tissue from which the tumor cells arise

carcinomas

solid tumors, epithelial cell origin, make up ~90% of all malignancies

sarcomas

connective tissue origin (bone, bone marrow, muscle, fat, cartilage), includes tumors arising from blood-forming tissue, make up ~5% of all malignancies

mixed-tissue tumors

tissues capable of differentiating into epithelial and connective tissue; very uncommon; ex: Wilms tumor or teratoma

fungating gross tumor

mushrooming patterm; cancer cells pile on top of each other

alveolar tumor

tumor cell that resembles small sacs; ex: sarcomas

scirrhous tumor

hard and fibrous, densly packed tumor

grade of tumor

degree of maturity of differentiation from original tissue under the microscope; grades I - IV

grade I tumor

often well differentiated

grades II and III

intermediate appearance (kind of differentiated)

grade IV tumor

undifferentiated (anaplastic); doesn’t look anything like the original cells (“bakcwards” growing)

stage of tumor

extent of spread in the body; TNM (tumor, node, metastasis)

cryosurgery

subzero temperature to freeze off and destroy cancer calls

radiocurable tumor

tumor can be completely eradicated with radiation

radiation therapy side effects

alopecia, fibrosis (increase in CT), mucositis (inflammation and ulceration of mucous membranes), myelosuppression (bone marrow depression), nausea and vomiting, pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs), xerostomia (dry mouth)

xerostomia

dryness of the mouth

alkylating agents (chemotherapy)

damage cancer cell DNA and prevent it from replicating, causing cell death

antimetabolites (chemotherapy)

blocks synthesis of new nucleotides

antimitotics

stops or block cancer cell division (mitosis)

gliomas

arise from glial cells (supportive cells in the CNS); astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, glioblastoma multiforme

glioblastoma multiforme

most malignant form of astrocytoma

meningiomas

arise from meninges; usually benign and surrounded by a capsule; many cause compression of the brain

blastoma

neoplasm with immature undifferentiated cells

symptoms of brain tumors

can cause cerebral edema and hydrocephalus (increased pressure); headache, new seizures, visual changes