ADL
activities of daily living
Adjuvant
therapies delivered after the primary treatment to (e.g.) destroy remaining cancer cells
ANC
absolute neutrophil count, the absolute number of bacterial infection-fighting blood cells low means a notably higher risk for infection
Antibody
protective proteins produced by your immune systme. they attach to antigens such as bacteria, viruses, toxins, and remove them from your body
Antigen
a marker that tells your immune system if something in your body is harmful or not. Found on viruses, bacteria, tumors, and normal cells. Antigen testing is done to diagnose viral infections, monitor and screen for certain conditions and determine whether a donor is a good match for a transplant
Atelectasis
incomplete expansion or collapse of a portion of the lung or the whole lung
BAC
bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, a unique and uncommon subtype of lung cancer
Biomarker Testing
sometimes referred to as molecular testing or genetic testing, done by obtaining a small amount of tissue (a biopsy) from a tumor, or by drawing a blood sample; the tissue or blood sample is sent to a lab for testing and can provide information about the tumor and help determine a personalized treatment path. can also be used to check for changes in a gene or chromosome that may increase the risk of developing cancer or other diseases
Bispecific Antibodies
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) have two distinct binding domains that can bind to two antigens or two epitopes (an antigen part) of the same antigen simultaneously. BSAbs are the next generation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). More information is available here
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is when breast cells mutate and become cancerous cells that multiply and form tumors.
Bone Marrow Transplant
A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that infuses healthy blood-forming stem cells into your body to replace bone marrow that's not producing enough healthy blood cells.
CR
complete response (after treatment), leading to no evidence of disease (NED)
CT
computerized tomography, “cat scan”, a detailed look at the body at varying levels internally, “slice by slice”
CT/PET
a combined scan that does a simultaneous CT, which measures the shape and size of body structures, with PET, which measures metabolic activity. The images can then
CTC
circulating tumor cells, in blood
CTCs
circulating tumor cells
CXR
chest x-ray
Chemotherapy
Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.
DCR
disease control rate, the combination of response rate and proportion of patients achieving stable disease
DNI
“do not intubate”, an order to not place an endotracheal (“breathing”) tube down the trachea (windpipe) in order to be placed on a mechanical ventilation machine
DNR
“do not resuscitate”, an order to not perform chest compressions, defibrillation, etc., in the event that a person is unresponsive and has no pulse, etc.
Dx
diagnosis
EGFR
epidermal growth factor receptor, a key target that modulates growth and division of cancer cells
FISH
fluorescence in situ hybridization, a method for detecting the number of copies of a gene in tumor cells, “positive” being higher than expected for a normal cell
Gy
Gray, the units of radiation dosing
HCT
the percentage of blood that is comprised of red blood cells, normally approximately 38-45%, but commonly below that in patients receiving cancer treatment
Hematocrit
the percentage of blood that is comprised of red blood cells, normally approximately 38-45%, but commonly below that in patients receiving cancer treatment
IHC
immunohistochemistry, a method for detecting levels of specific proteins on tumor cells
INR
international normalized ratio, a measurement of the degree of blood thinning, compared to an international standard, in which an INR of 2 corresponds to blood requiring twice as long as normal blood to develop a clot
IV
intravenous
LAN
lymphadenopathy, abnormally enlarged lymph nodesmedian the number within a population for which half of the values are above and half are below it; this reflects the general trend of how a population does but discounts the “pull” of the extremes on either side
LIQUID BIOPSY
A type of test used to find cancer cells and cancer DNA in the blood.
LIVER HEMANGIOMA
The most common type of benign liver tumor, hemangiomas, starts in blood vessels. Most hemangiomas of the liver cause no symptoms and do not need treatment. But some may bleed and need to be removed with surgery.
MRI
magnetic resonance imaging, a type of scan particularly good at evaluating brain, muscle, bone, nerves
N/V
nausea and vomiting
Neoadjuvant
the administration of therapeutic agents before a main treatment, treatment given as a first step to (e.g.) shrink a tumor before the main treatment is given
NED
no evidence of disease, a nice report to get
NSCLC
non-small cell lung cancer, main subtypes including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma
ORR
objective response rate
OS
overall survival
p-value
the probability that an observed occurrence would occur by chance alone; convention is that something is considered “statistically significant” if the “p-value” is less than 0.05, translating to a less than 5% chance of the event occurring by chance.
pack-years
The product of the number of years a person has smoked by the average number of cigarette packs smoked per day
PCR
polymerase chain reaction, a sensitive method for detecting gene mutations in cancer cells
PD
progressive disease
PEG
percutaneous endoscopic gastrostromy tube, or G-tube tube placed endoscopically that is anchored in the stomach and passes out through the abdominal wall, through which “tube feedings” of nutrition and fluids, as well as medicines, can be administered
PET
positron-emission tomography, a type of scan that measures metabolic activity, which tends to highlight areas of cancer
PFS
progression-free survival, the length of time during and after the treatment of a disease that a patient lives with the disease but it does not get worse
platelets
blood cells that contribute to the clotting process, normally in the 150,000 to 450,000 range, although commonly below that in patients receiving cancer treatment
PLT
platelets
PO
oral, by mouth
PR
partial response (generally defined as ~50% tumor shrinkage, or greater)
PRN
as needed
PS
performance status, a score that estimates the patient's ability to perform certain activities of daily living (ADLs) without the help of others
Pt
patient
Px
prognosis
QOL
quality of life
RBC
red blood cells, the oxygen-carrying blood cells (anemia means low RBC levels)
RR
response rate
RT
Radiation therapy
Rx
treatment
Survivorship Phases
Acute survivorship:
- diagnosis conclusion initial treatment
- focus: treatment
Extended survivorship:
- conclusion of initial treatment and post-treatment window
- focus: cancer and treatment effects
Permanent survivorship:
- defined time window since conclusion of treatment
- significantly reduced chance of recurrence
- focus: long term effects of cancer and treatments
Scanxiety
an increased level of anxiety patients can sometimes feel before, during, and after a scan meant to diagnose, monitor progression, etc. Scanxiety is a term used to discuss the stress and worry that accompanies a scan. Many factors can cause scanxiety. Often it is experienced leading up to a radiology test.
SCLC
small cell lung cancer staged as LD and ED for limited disease and extensive disease, respectively (often written as SCLC-ED, for instance)
SD
stable disease
SUV
standard uptake value, the unit of measuring metabolic activity on a PET scan
Tx
treatment
VEGF
vascular endothelial growth factor, the most important modulator of new blood vessel formation, and the target for “anti-angiogenic” agents
WBC
white blood cells, infection-fighting blood cells, of which there are a few types
XRT
external beam radiation therapy (basically, standard radiation)