Glossary

A | B | C | D |E |F | G | H |I |J |K | L | M | N | O |P |Q | R | S | T |U |V |W |X |Y |Z

A

Aromatase Inhibitor

A medication that reduces the amount of estrogen in the body. Aromatase inhibitors may be used to treat women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.

B

Biopsy

A procedure where tumor tissue is removed from the body for laboratory examination to determine whether or not cancer is present. A biopsy can be performed during a colonscopy or as a surgical procedure.

Bowel Obstruction

Obstruction is the most common acute surgical problem in colon cancer.  About one in three left-sided lesions present with an obstruction.

Bowel Perforation

Is a complete penetration of the wall of the stomach, small intestine or large bowel, resulting in intestinal contents flowing into the abdominal cavity.

C

Cancer

A condition in which abnormal cells divide without control or fail to die as part of a normal cell's lifecycle. Cancer cells can also invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy

Treatment with cytotoxic drugs that destroy cancer cells (fast-growing cells). Chemotherapy may be used in addition to surgery, and is sometimes used in combination with other therapies such as radiation therapy or hormonal therapy.

Clinical Trial

A research study to test drugs, procedures or testing technologies to determine whether these are effective and/or safe.

D

Diagnosis

Identification of a condition, such as breast cancer, by its signs and symptoms and the results of laboratory tests or other examinations.

Distant Recurrence

The spread of cancer to parts of the body other than the place where the cancer first occurred. In breast cancer, the cancer can spread to the lungs, liver, brain or bones.

G

Gene

The functional and physical units of inheritance that are passed from parents to their offspring. The genes found in normal breast tissue can change their “expression” (see below), which can give rise to breast cancer.

Gene Expression

The level of activity of a gene or group of genes.

Genome

The complete genetic material of a living thing.

H

Human Genome Project

An international research and technology-development effort aimed at mapping and sequencing the entire genome of human beings.

L

Lymphatic / Vascular Invasion

Spread of the cancer has extended into the vascular system.

Lymph-node Involvement

The number of lymph nodes analyzed for staging colon cancer is a prognostic variable on outcome.  The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends that patients have a minimum of 12 lymph nodes evaluated to appropriately rule-out the spread of colon cancer.  Lymph node involvement differentiates a patient for diagnosis with Stage II defined as without lymph-node involvement and Stage III with spread of the disease through the lymph system.

M

Micro-satellite Instability

Mutational signature found in colon and rectal cancers that evolve as a result of inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system.

MMR deficicency (MMR-D)

~15% of stage II colon cancer patients have tumors that arise from a deficient mismatch repair (MMR) pathway.  Defects in the DNA mismatch repair mechanism result in an inability to repair DNA mutations.

N

Newly Diagnosed

A term used to describe colon cancer that has recently been identified.

Node-Negative Colon Cancer

Colon cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes.

O

Oncotype DX® Test

A unique diagnostic test that looks at the genomic profile of a colon tumor to predict the likelihood that early-stage, localized, stage II colon cancer will return, or recur (distant recurrence).

R

Radiation Therapy

The use of radiation to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be used before or after surgery, and is sometimes used in combination with chemotherapy. Radiation is used for local control of the cancer at the site of the tumor.

Recurrence

The return of cancer after treatment. This can be either local (at the site of the original tumor), or distant (beyond the original site).
Resection:  Surgical procedure to remove primary colon cancer.  En bloc resection involves anatomically defined portions of the colon with in-continuity draining nodes to root of mesocolon (Transverse or Sigmoid).

Recurrence Free Interval (RFI)

Interval between diagnosis and recurrence of disease.

S

Stage II Colon Cancer

Cancer has spread outside the colon to nearby tissue, but it has not gone into the lymph nodes.  Also called Dukes B colon cancer.

T

T-Stage

T-Stage refers to the depth of penetration of the tumor at time of presentation.  In colon cancer, tumor size is not as critical as depth of invasion and nodal status in determining prognosis.

Tumor

Tissue growth where the cells that make up the tissue have multiplied uncontrollably. A tumor can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Tumor Grade

The characterization of a tumor based on how similar in appearance the cancer cells are to normal cells, and on how many of those tumor cells are dividing. Tumor grade is one of many factors that, when used in combination, can indicate how aggressive a patient’s cancer is.