Med Term Quiz #15 - Ch. 19 & 20: Cancer Medicine (Oncology) & Radiation and Nuclear Medicine

Inflammatory

Having the features of inflammation- that is redness, swelling, and heat

Necrotic

Containing dead tissue

Diffuse

Spreading evenly throughout the affected tissue

Cauterization

Destruction of tissue by burning; ex. electrocauterization (using a needle or snare heated by electrical current), laser, dry ice, and chemicals

Core Needle Biopsy

Placement of a large-bore needle that extracts a core of tissue

Excisional Biopsy

Removal of a tumor and a margin of normal tissue; this procedure provides a specimen for diagnosis and may be curative for small noninvasive tumors

Fine Needle Aspiration

Placement of a very thin needle inside the tumor mass and extraction of cells for microscopic evaluation

Incisional Biopsy

Piece of tumor is removed for examination to establish a diagnosis; a more extensive surgical procedure or other forms of treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, are then used to treat a bulk of the tumor

Brachytherapy

Small, sealed containers or seeds of radioactive material are inserted directly into the tumor (interstitial therapy) or into a cavity of the tumor (intracavitary therapy); implant may be temporary or permanent

External Beam Irradiation (teletherapy)

Radiation therapy applied to a tumor from a distant source (linear accelerator)

Sterotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)

Single large dose of radiation is delivered under precise, stereotactic 3D guidance; performed at multiple angles to destory vascular abnormalities and small tumors in the brain or other sites

Cancer Chemotherapy

Treatment of cancer using chemicals (drugs); standard treatment for many types of cancers

Benign Tumor

Noncancerous growth (neoplasm)

Carcinogens

Agents that cause cancer; chemicals and drugs, radiation, viruses

Carcinoma

Cancerous tumor made up of cells and epithelial origin

Chemotherapy

Treatment with drugs that kill tumor cells

Immunotherapy

Cancer treatment using immune cells and antibodies to kill tumor cells; ex. CAR-T cell therapy and checkpoint inhibitors

Malignant Tumor

Tumor having the characteristics of continuous growth, invasivness, and metastasis

Metastasis

Spread of a malignant tumor to secondary site; literally, beyond control

Morbidity

Condition of being unwell or deficient in normal function

Neoplasm

New growth; benign or malignant tumor

Palliative

Relieving but not curing symptoms

Radiation

Energy carried by a stream of particles

Radiation Therapy

Treatment of tumors using doses of radiation; radiation oncology, radiotherapy

Relapse

Recurrence of tumor after treatment

Remission

Absence of signs and symptoms of disease (tumor)

Sarcoma

Cancerous tumor derives from connective or flesh tissue

Virus

Infectious agent that reproduces by entering a host cell and using the host’s genetic material to make copies of itself

Nuclear Medicine

Medical specialty that uses radiactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease

Radiolucent

Permits passage of most of the x-rays; ex. lung tissue, appears dark on x-ray

Radiopaque

Bones, substances that absorb most of the x-rays they are exposed to; appears white

Mammography

Low-dose x-rays to visualize breast tissue

Computer Tomography (CT)

Beaming x-rays at multiple angles through a section of the patient’s body; computer creates multiple cross-sectional images

Barium Sulfate

Radiopaque substance that is mixed in water and used for examination of the upper and lower GI tract

Small Bowel Follow-Through (SBFT)

Traces the passage of barium in a sequential manner as it moves through the small intestine

Double-Contrast Study

Uses both a radiopaque and a radiolucent contrast medium

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

Injecting contrast directly into the common bile duct

Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

X-ray image of contrast-injected blood vessels is produced by taking two x-ray pictures (the first without contrast) and using a computer to subtract obscuring shadows from the second image

Hysterosalpingography

X-ray record of the endometrial cavity and fallopian tubes is obtained after injection of contrast material through the vagina and into the endocervical canal

Myelography

X-ray imaging of the spinal cord (myel/o) after injection of contrast agent into the subarachnoid space surrounding the spinal cord

Urography

The process of recording x-ray images of the urinary tract after the introduction of contrast

Interventional Radiology

Invasive procedures, usually under CT or ultrasound guidance or with fluoroscopic imaging

Fluoroscopy

The use of x-rays and a fluorescent screen to produce real-time video images

Ultrasound Imaging/Ultrasonography

High-frequency inaudible sound waves that bounce off body tissues and are then recorded to give information about the anatomy of an internal organ

Transducer/Probe

An instrument placed near or on the skin, which is covered with a thin coating of gel to ensure good transmission of sound waves

Sonogram

The record produced by ultrasound imaging

Echocardiography

Ultrasound techniques to detect heart valve and blood vessel disorders

Doppler Ultrasound

Make it possible to record blood flow velocity (speed)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI or MR)

Uses magnetic fields and radiowaves rather than x-rays

Gadolinium

Contrast agent most commonly used in MRI; enhances vessels and tissues, increases the sensitivity for lesion detection

Posteroanterior (PA) View

Most commonly requested chest x-ray view; x-rays travel from a posteriorly placed source to an anteriorly placed detector

Anteroposterior (AP) View

X-rays travel from an anteriorly placed source to a posteriorly placed detector

Lateral View

X-rays travel from a source located to the right of the patient to a detector placed to the left of the patient

Oblique View

X-rays travel in a slanting direction at an angle from the perpendicular plane; show regions or structures ordinarily hidden or superimposed in routine PA and AP views

Posteroanterior (PA) View

Anteroposterior (AP) View

Lateral View

Oblique View

Decubitus

Lying down

Eversion

Turning outward

Inversion

Turning inward

Recumbent

Lying down (can be supine or prone)

Radionuclide (radioisotope)

A substance that gives off high-energy particles or rays as it disintegrates

Half-Life

The time required for a radioactive substance to lose half of its radioactivity by disintegration

Gamma Camera

A sensitive external detection instrument to determine the distribution and localization of the radiopharmaceutical in various organs, tissues, and fluids

Uptake

The rate of absorption of the radiopharmaceutical into an organ or tissue

Positron Emission Tomography (PET or PET scan)

Radionuclide technique produces images of the distribution of radioactivity in the body through emission of positrons

PET-CT Scan

Combines PET and CT techniques to produce a more accurate image than PET or CT alone

PET-MRI Scan

Combine MRI with PET scans

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

This technique involves an intravenous injection of radioactive tracer (such as Tc-99m) and the computer reconstruction of a 3D image based on the composite of many views

Ionization

Transformation of electrically neutral substances into electrically charged particles; x-rays cause ionization of particles within tissues

Is/o

Same

-graphy

Process of recording

-lucent

To shine

-opaque

Obscure

Ba

Barium

DICOM

Digital Image Communication in Medicine

PACS

Picture Archival and Communications System