When it comes to cancer and cancer treatment, there are a lot of technical terms. Below is a list of words that you will find on our website, along with definitions to help ensure you understand the information we are providing.

• adrenal [uh-DREE-nul] gland

  • a small gland that sits on top of each kidney and produces certain hormones for the body to use

• advanced kidney cancer

  • term that means the cancer has spread to more than one part of the kidney and possibly other parts of the body, and cannot be cured by surgery or other treatments

• advanced liver cancer

  • term that means the cancer has spread to more than one part of the liver and possibly other parts of the body, and cannot be cured by surgery or other treatments

• curative [KYOO-re-tiv] treatment

  • treatment aimed at getting rid of all signs of cancer (an example is surgery)

• follicular cells

  • a cell in the thyroid, or to a type of cancer that starts in follicular cells. It can also refer to a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that tends to grow in follicles

• hepatitis [HEH-puh-TY-tis]

  • a disease causing inflammation of the liver

• immune [ih-MYOON] system

  • a group of organs and cells that help protect your body from infection and disease

• immunotherapy (ih-MYOO-no-THAYR-uh-pee)

  • treatments that use the body's immune system to fight cancer

• immunotherapy biologic therapy

  • treatments that use the body's immune system to fight cancer. This is done by boosting the patient's own immune system or giving man-made immune system proteins

• kidney cancer

  • cancer that forms in tissues of the kidneys

• laparoscope

  • a long, flexible, thin tube with a lens on the end that's put into the belly (abdomen) through a very small cut. The laparoscope lets the surgeon see organs and lymph nodes inside the abdomen, and remove them using special surgical tools that fit through the laparoscope

• laparoscopic nephrectomy [LA-puh-ruh-SKAH-pik neh-FREK-toh-mee]

  • a type of surgery to remove a kidney, or part of a kidney in which small incisions, or cuts, are made and a small laparoscope (a thin, tubelike instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted into one incision to see the kidney and small surgical tools are inserted into the other small incisions. The surgeon looks into the laparoscope to guide the removal of the kidney using the surgical tools

• locoregional therapy

  • treatment of cancer at its site, so that the rest of the body is not affected. Surgery and radiation are examples of local therapy

• lymph [limf] nodes

  • filter lymph (lymphatic fluid) and store lymphocytes [LIM-foh-sites] (white blood cells). Lymph nodes are part of the immune system

• metastases [meh-TAS-tuh-sis]

  • the spread of cancer from one part of the body to other parts of the body. New tumors, which are called "metastatic tumors" or "metastases," contain cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor

• metastatic [meh-tah-sta-tik]

  • cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body

• nephrectomy [neh-FREK-toh-mee]

  • a surgery to remove a kidney

• noncurative care

  • treatment that can make symptoms better and keep the cancer from getting worse for as long as possible but will not cure the cancer. Also called palliative [pa-lee-uh-tiv] care

• partial nephrectomy [PAR-shul neh-FREK-toh-mee]

  • a surgery to remove part of one kidney or a kidney tumor, but not an entire kidney

• percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) [per-kyoo-TAY-nee-us EH-thuh-nol in-JEK-shun]

  • a process that destroys tumors by injecting them with a form of alcohol (ethanol)

• perforated bowel [pur-FOR-A-tid BOW-ul]

  • a hole directly in the wall of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine. A perforated bowel requires surgery, as food and other substances can leak into the abdomen, causing severe infection

• radiation therapy

  • treatment with high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from outside the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed in the body (brachytherapy or internal radiation)

• radical nephrectomy [RA-dih-kul neh-FREK-toh-mee]

  • a surgery that removes the entire kidney along with the adrenal gland and some tissue around the kidney

• radiofrequency ablation [RAY-dee-oh-FREE-kwen-see uh-BLAY-shun]

  • a procedure that uses radio waves to heat and destroy abnormal cells. The radio waves travel through electrodes (small devices that carry electricity). Radiofrequency ablation may be used to treat cancer and other conditions

• radiotherapy [RAY-dee-oh-THAYR-uh-pee]

  • a ray or beam of high-energy particles that is used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors

• regional lymphadenectomy [LIMF-a-de-NEK-toh-mee]

  • Sometimes performed when cancers are removed by surgery, such as in the case of a radical nephrectomy, a regional lymphadenectomy removes nearby lymph nodes to see whether the cancer has spread to them

• specialty pharmacy

  • a special pharmacy that fills prescriptions and deliver medications that are not available in local or chain pharmacies

• staging

  • the use of exams and tests to learn the extent of the cancer within the body, especially how far the disease has spread. Staging usually takes into account the size and location of tumor(s)

• systemic therapy

  • treatment using substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body

• transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) [trans-ar-TEER-ee-ul KEE-moh-EM-boh-lih-ZAY-shun]

  • a procedure in which chemotherapy drugs are injected into the blood vessels that feed the tumors. This delivers a high dose of chemotherapy to the tumor while lowering the blood supply that feeds the tumor

• unresectable (UN-ree-SEK-tuh-bul)

  • a cancer tumor that cannot be removed by surgery