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| screening technique for early detection of cervical cancer in which cells obtained from a sample of vaginal secretions are examined with a microscope. |
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| screening technique for breast cancer that uses low-dose X-rays to create detailed pictures that reveal the internal tissues of the breast. |
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| fecal occult blood test (FOBT) |
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| test to check for eimy amounts of blood in the feces, which may be a sign of colon cancer. |
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| technique that permits rapid examination of the protein makeup of a timy sample, such as a drop of blood, creating a snapshot of thousands of proteins at once. |
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| situation in which a person who does not have cancer obtains a positive test result that incorrectly suggests that the disease may be present. |
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| techniques for taking pictures of the inside of the body, including conventional X-ray procedures, computed tomography (CT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, and ultrasound imaging. |
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| magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
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| imaging technique in which radio waves and magnetic fields are used instead of X-rays to create a series of detailed cross-sectional images of the body. |
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| thin dense layer of protein-containing material that forms a barrier between epithelial cell layers and underlying tissues. |
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| estimate of how far cancer has progressed based on a tumor's size and extent of spread at the time of diagnosis. (TNM system) |
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| treatment for breast cancer that involves surgical removal of the breast. |
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| cell death caused by high-dose radiation exposure that causes chromosomal damage so severe that it prevents cells from progressing through mitosis. |
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| raising the temperature of body tissues a rew degrees to sensitize cancer cells to the killing effects of radiatino used in cancer treatment. |
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| molecules that inhibits oxidation reactions, othen by reacting with free radicals. |
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| single-ringed nitrogen-containing molecule; parent compound of the bases bytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U). |
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| highly reactive organic molecules that trigger DNA damage by linking themselves (or a reactive chemical group) directly to DNA; used in cancer chemotherapy, but many are also carcinogenic. |
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| natural substance produced by a microorganism, or a synthetic derivative, that kills or inhibits the growth of other microorganisms or cells. |
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| steroid hormones, such as testosterone, that are produced maainly in the testes and exert their effects by binding to androgen receptors in target tissues; they stimulate cell proliferation in the prostate gland and exert a variety of effects on other tissues. |
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| steroid hormones produced by the ovaries that exert their effects by binding to estrogen receptors in target tissues; they stimulate cell proliferation in the breast and uterus, and exert a variety of effects on other tissues as well. |
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| intracellular protein to which estrogens bind in target cells, thereby leading to changes in cell behavior such as an activation of cell proliferation. |
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| substances that promote the process by which cells acquire the specialized characteristics of differentiated cells. |
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| small subpopulation of cancer cells within a tumor that are the only cells capable of unlimited prolieration; give rise to all other cells of the tumor. |
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| unspecialized cell type whose normal proliferation gives rise to more hematopoeitic stem cells as well as to cells that differentiate into the various types of blood cells. |
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| graft-versus-host disease |
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| a potentially life-threatening condition that can occur during stem cell transplantation when immune cells in the donated stem cell population attack the tissues of the person receiving the transplanted cells. |
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| Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) |
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Definition
| bacterial strain that does not cause disease but elicits a strong immune response at the site where it is introduced into the body; sometimes used in immunotherapy. |
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| class of proteins produced by B lymphocytes that bind with extrodinary specificity to substances, referrred to as antigens, that provoke immune response. |
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| purified antibody directed against a single antigen; obtained using a laboratory technique for producing and selecting cloed populations of antibody-producing cells called hybridomas. |
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| preparation containing antigens that stimulates an immune response toward those antigens. |
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| adoptive-cell-transfer (ACT) |
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Definition
| procedure in which a cancer patient's own lymphocytes are isolated, selected, and grown in the lab to enhance their cancer-fighting properties prior to injecting the cells back into the body. |
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| monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of breast cancer; binds to and inactivates a cell surface growth factor receptor known as ErbB2. |
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| lab synthesis of small molecule inhibitors that are designed to bind to and inactivate specific taget molecules. |
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| monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of lung cnacer; bind to and inactivates the epidermal growth factor receptor. |
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| monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of colon cancer; inhibits angiogenesis by binding to and inactivating the angiogenesis growth factor, VEGF. |
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| cell death through rupturing of the plasma membrane. |
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| procedures in which drugs or other treatments proposed for humans are first evaluated in humans for safety, dose, and effectiveness; consist of Phases I, II, and III trials. |
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| experiment in which people are randomly assigned to different groups that receive different doses (or no dose) of a drug or treatment. |
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| an inactive substance that resembles a drug in appearance; given to patients in the control group in a randomized double-blind trial. |
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| any new drug or other treatment that is undergoing clinical testing but has not yet been approved for use in standard medical practice. |
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| a diverse array of largely untested treatments for cancer (or other diseases) that are used as an alternative to standard medical care. |
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| herbal remedy for prostate cancer that appeared to be effective in preliminary human testing, but was taken off the market when it was found to be contaminated with synthetic drugs. |
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