Glossary - Oncology
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acute - severe; sharp; begins quickly.
acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) - a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood in which too many immature (not fully formed) lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, are found in the bone marrow, blood, spleen, liver, and other organs.
acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) - a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood in which too many immature (not fully formed) granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, are found in the bone marrow and blood.
adjuvant therapy - treatment used in addition to the main treatment. Adjuvant therapy usually refers to hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy added after surgery to increase the chances of curing the disease or minimizing symptoms.
allogeneic bone marrow transplantation - a procedure in which a person receives stem cells from a compatible donor.
alopecia - hair loss.
alternative therapy - use of an unproven therapy instead of standard (proven) therapy.
anemia - a blood disorder caused by a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells).
anesthesia - the loss of feeling or sensation as a result of medications or gases. General anesthesia causes loss of consciousness. Local or regional anesthesia numbs only a certain area.
anesthesiologist - a physician who specializes in administering medications or other agents that prevent or relieve pain, especially during surgery.
angiogram - a dye is used to visualize all of the blood vessels in the brain in order to detect certain types of tumors.
apheresis - a procedure in which a patient's own blood is removed, particular fluid and cellular elements are extracted from the blood, then returned to the patient.
aplastic anemia - one type of anemia that occurs when the bone marrow produces too few of all three types of blood cells: red cells, white cells, and platelets.
autologous bone marrow transplantation - a procedure in which a patient's own bone marrow is removed, treated with anticancer drugs or radiation, then returned to the patient.
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benign - a term used to describe non-cancerous tumors which tend to grow slowly and do not spread.
bilateral - on both sides of the body; for example, bilateral Wilms tumor is cancer in both kidneys.
biologic response modifiers (Also called biologic therapy.) - substances that boost the body's immune system to fight against cancer (i.e., interferon).
biopsy - a sample of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope.
blasts - immature blood cells.
blood - the life-maintaining fluid which is made up of plasma, red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and platelets; blood circulates through the body's heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries; it carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide, and brings nourishment, electrolytes, hormones, vitamins, antibodies, heat, and oxygen to the tissues.
blood banking - the process that takes place in the laboratory to ensure that the donated blood or blood products are safe, before they are used in blood transfusions and other medical procedures. Blood banking includes typing and cross matching the blood for transfusion and testing for infectious diseases.
blood plasma - the fluid part of blood that contains