Glossary of OVARIAN CANCER
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OVARIAN CANCER
Abdomen: The part of the body below the diaphragm between the chest and pelvis that contains organs such as the liver, the bowel, the bladder, the kidneys, the ovaries and the uterus
Antiemetic: A medication given to prevent nausea and vomiting
Benign: Noncancerous
Biopsy: Microscopic examination of tissues and cells removed from the body to determine the presence of cancer
CA125: A blood protein that can be measured and is an important tumor marker in ovarian cancer
Cancer: A general term for more than 100 diseases characterized by uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells in different parts of the body that can spread to other parts of the body
Carcinoma: One of the basic types of cancer in which the cancerous tumor begins in the tissues that line the skin and mucous membrane in the glands, lung, ovary, etc.
Cell: The basic structure of living tissues; all plants and animals are made of one or more cells
Chemotherapy: Treatment or control of cancer using anticancer drugs that destroy cancer cells by interfering with their growth and/or preventing their reproduction
Combination Chemotherapy: More than one (generally between 2 and 4) different anticancer drugs used together to treat cancer
CT or CAT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography): A diagnostic procedure that combines an x-ray with a computer to produce highly-detailed, cross-sectional, three-dimensional pictures of the entire body. These tests are generally 100 times more sensitive than x-rays
Cyst: A fluid-filled sac
Diagnosis: The procedure by which a disease is identified
Drug Resistance: A condition in which a person's cancer cells no longer respond to chemotherapy
Epithelial: A type of tissue lining the skin and hollow organs
Gene: The biologic unit of heredity that determines the traits a person gets from past generations
Hysterectomy: Surgical removal of the uterus
Intravenously: Through a vein
Invasive: Growing into and destroying normal tissue
Laparoscopy: Examination of abdominal organs with a laparoscope (a lighted tubular instrument) passed through a small incision in the abdominal wall
Laparotomy: Any surgical procedure which involves opening the abdominal cavity for examination (exploratory laparotomy) or to perform additional surgery
Lymph Nodes: Small glands located throughout the body that filter out and destroy bacteria and that can collect cancer cells
Malignant: Cancerous
Metastasis: A spread of cancer from one part of the body to another
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): A new, sophisticated technique to examine the body using powerful electromagnets, radiofrequency waves, and a computer to produce internal pictures of the body
Oncologist: A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer
Oophorectomy: Surgical removal of one (unilateral) or both (bilateral) diseased ovaries
Pap (Papanicolaou) Smear: The microscopic examination of cells from the vagina or the cervix of the uterus
Peritoneum: A transparent membrane that lines the inside of the abdomen
Prognosis: A prediction about the possible outcome of a disease
Recurrence: Reappearance of a cancer
Remission: A decrease or disappearance of disease
Staging: A method to describe the extent of cancer, using such characteristics as the size of the tumor, lymph node involvement, and where it has spread
Tumor: An abnormal growth of cells that can be benign or malignant
Ultrasound (ultrasonography, Sonogram): An examination to locate and measure cystic tumors using very high frequency sound waves, which the human ear cannot hear
Vaccine: A substance used for injection that contains part of the antigen from an infectious agent. It protects against infection from that organism in the future by stimulating the immune response to it
White Blood Cells: The blood cells responsible for fighting infection