| antibody: | a type of protein that is synthesised by the immune system in response to the presence of foreign matter (such as infective bacteria or viruses) which the antibodies attack.
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| antigen: | any substance that the immune system can recognise as foreign and attack through the production of antibodies and other processes.
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| bioinformatics: | the processing of large amounts of biological data into useful information.
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| BRCA1 and BRCA2: | genes which confer a high level of susceptibility to breast cancer.
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| cancer gene: | a gene which causes cancer or a predisposition to cancer.
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| chemotherapy: | treatment of illness with chemical medicines. Chemotherapy has come to be associated specifically with highly toxic medicines for cancer treatment.
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| clinical trials, clinical research: |
the testing of new drugs or treatments in humans, either in patients or in healthy volunteers.
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| colorectal cancer: | cancer of the large bowel or rectum
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| computerised tomography (CT): | a specialist type of x-ray examination which rotates the x-ray source and detector around the patients and can generate cross-sectional and three-dimensional images of the scanned region by computer processing.
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| cytology: | the study of the structure and function of cells and the characterisation of patients' cells for diagnostic purposes.
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| cytotoxic: | cell-killing.
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| Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): | the molecule which makes up genetic material.
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| differentiation: | The process by which non-specific cells in the embryo develop into specialised cells for different parts of the body. In oncology, differentiation is used to describe the degree of similarity of tumour cells to structure of the organ in which the tumour arose.
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| epidemiology: | the study of the occurrence, distribution and control of diseases in populations.
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| gene: | the basic unit of genetic material which confers inherited characteristics.
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| histopathology: | the microscopic study and characterisation of tissues for diagnosis of disease.
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| immunotherapy: | the treatment of disease, usually cancer, using agents to stimulate the body's own immune system, or antibodies introduced from other sources, to attack the diseased cells.
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| leukaemias: | malignant diseases in which blood-forming organs, such as the bone marrow, produce increased numbers of white blood cells (leucocytes).
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| lymphoid tissue: | tissue which produces lymphocytes and antibodies in lymph nodes, thymus, tonsils and spleen.
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| lymphomas: | malignant tumour of the lymph nodes.
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| magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
a technique of diagnostic imaging which uses the absorption and trans-mission of high-frequency radio waves by water molecules in tissues in a strong magnetic field. It is particularly useful in imaging bone, muscle and nervous tissue.
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| malignancy: | tumour or leukaemia which grows, invades and damages the tissue in which in originates.
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| mammography: | x-ray examination of the breast, looking for early signs of breast cancer.
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| medical and clinical oncologists |
a doctor who treats cancer. Clinical oncologists treat cancer with radiotherapy and some chemotherapy. Medical oncologists are specialists in treating cancer with chemotherapy.
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| mesothelioma: | cancer of the pleura (the covering of the lungs), the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen) or the pericardium (the membrane surrounding the heart). Pleural mesothelioma is commonly caused by exposure to asbestos dust.
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| metastases: | secondary tumours located away from the original tumour.
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| metastasis: | the spread of cancer away from the original tumour.
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| nucleotide sequences: | the sequences which make up the genetic code. DNA is made from four nucleotides (adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine), small molecules joined together into long sequences. The order of the nucleotides in the sequence determines the nature of the genetic information.
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| oncology: | the study and treatment of cancer.
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| palliative care: | treatment that give relief from the symptoms of a disease (or side-effects of treatment) but does not actually cure the disease itself.
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| pathology: | the study and diagnosis of disease by observing samples of tissues, blood, urine etc. from the patient or at post-mortem.
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| positron emission tomography (PET): |
a method of scanning a patient to locate injected radio-labelledsubstances(often fluorodeoxyglucose—FDG) which emit positrons. PET scans can be used to locate tumours.
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| proliferation: | uncontrolled cell division.
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| radiography: | the use of x-rays and other imaging techniques in the diagnosis of disease.
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| radiology: | the use of x-rays and radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
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| radiotherapy: | the treatment of disease with penetrating ionising radiation.
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| serology: | the study of blood serum and its constituents for research and diagnosis.
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| tumour: | a swelling. In cancer this is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division.
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| ultrasound: | sound waves of a very high frequency, used in imaging the inside of the body by observing reflection (echoes) of sound waves and converting these electronically to images.
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