Glossary

Adenocarcinoma:

A form of cancer that involves cells from the lining of the walls of many different organs of the body.

Adjuvant therapy:

The use of chemotherapy, radiation, and/or other therapy following the primary therapy.

Air pollution:

Air pollution can contain trace amounts of diesel exhaust, coal products, and other industrial substances.

Alveoli:

Tiny airways, at the end of the bronchioles, running from the bronchi into the lobes of the lung.

Anemia:

A condition where the red blood cell count is below normal. Anemia may cause fatigue.

Antiemetics:

Drugs that prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting.

Asbestos:

Tiny, hair-like fibers found in some types of rock. Asbestos is a natural mineral that is fireproof and insulating and was used in building construction materials. It can still be found in older buildings. It is also used in some manufacturing processes. When asbestos is inhaled, the fibers can irritate the lung and may eventually cause lung disease. People who smoke and are exposed to asbestos have a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Fortunately, professional protective breathing equipment can reduce the risk of breathing in asbestos fibers for those who work with asbestos.

Aspiration:

Removal of fluid from a lump, often a cyst, with a needle and a syringe.

Atelectasis:

Collapse of a lung.

Azotemia:

Toxic levels of nitrogen compounds in the blood due to kidney dysfunction.

Benign:

Not cancerous. A benign tumor does not invade nearby tissue nor spread to other parts of the body.

Biopsy:

Removal of a lung tissue sample for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. Biopsy samples are obtained in different ways, depending on the location of the tumor.

Brachytherapy:

Radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters, and placed directly into or near the tumor. Also called internal radiation or implant therapy.

Bronchi:

Large airway that runs from the trachea to the lung (singular: bronchus).

Bronchioles:

The smaller air passages leading from the bronchi into the lobes of the lung.

Bronchorrhea:

An excessive discharge of mucus from the air passages of the lungs.

Bronchoscopy:

Viewing of the lungs through a lighted, flexible tube (bronchoscope) that is passed through the nose and throat into the main airway of the lungs. The tube, which has a light on the end, allows the doctor to see inside of the lung. If abnormal areas or tumors are seen, cell tissue can be obtained through special tools located at the end of the bronchoscope for evaluation under a microscope.

Bronchus:

A large airway that runs from the trachea to the lung. (plural: bronchi).

Cancer:

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system (bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes) to other parts of the body.

Carcinoma:

Cancer arising from the epithelial cells that cover or line internal and external body surfaces. Usually assumed to be the indicator of invasive cancer.

Chemoprevention agents:

Substances including retinoids, selenium, and other agents that could potentially repair genetic damage before cancer develops.

Chemotherapy:

Treatment that involves administering medicines that kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, which means it flows through the bloodstream reaching every part of the body.

Chest examination:

Examining the chest and listening to the lungs with a stethoscope provides information about abnormal breathing sounds or patterns.

Chest X-ray:

X-rays are "flat" pictures of the lungs, which help to identify abnormal growths. X-rays use radiation that passes through the body and collects on a film. The variation in the resulting picture depends on the variable density of the tissues that the radiation is passing through. Note: In recent years, studies have been conducted to evaluate the use of chest x-rays and sputum cytology in detecting lung cancer. It has been concluded that these methods were not effective in detecting early stage lung cancer.

Clinical trials:

Studies designed to find better prevention, diagnostic, screening, or treatment methods for specific types of diseases. Because clinical trials are research studies, they are designed to answer a specific question. Clinical trials are the main method by which medical science advances.

Complementary medicine:

A branch of medicine that complements standard cancer treatments. Complementary medicine is sometimes referred to as integrative medicine.

Complete remission:

When cancer cannot be detected in the body.

Consolidation therapy:

Treatment given after induction therapy in an attempt to consolidate and prolong remission.

Cross-resistance:

A situation in which cells or microorganisms resistant to one drug will become resistant to all other chemically related treatments.

Computed tomography scan (CAT or CT scan):

Computed tomography, also known as CT or CAT scan, is a sophisticated instrument that uses a computer to create a two-dimensional scan from a series of X-ray images. The newest version of the CT is called a helical or spiral scan. CT scans show much more detail than x-rays and the new helical or spiral scans are even more sensitive than regular CT scans.

Doubling time:

The amount of time required for a cancer cell population to double in size.

Dyspnea:

Difficulty in breathing.

Environmental factors:

Any factor or influence that is outside of your body, e.g., cigarette smoke, industrial gases, pollution, or foods.

Five-year survival rate:

The number of patients who are alive five years after a diagnosis of cancer. Five-year survival rates include all people who are alive, regardless of whether or not they are undergoing treatment for their disease.

Genetics:

Pertaining a person's genes. Genes are components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which is found in every cell in the body. Errors to genes, which can occur through aging, cell division, or as an effect from chemicals or radiation, can cause cancer.

Hemoptysis:

The coughing up of blood from the respiratory tract.

Hormone therapy:

Treatment of cancer by removing, blocking, or adding hormones. Also called endocrine therapy.

Hyperthermia:

A type of treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures to damage and kill cancer cells, or to make cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and certain anticancer drugs.

Industrial substances:

Industrial substances can include arsenic, uranium, beryllium, vinyl chloride, nickel chromates, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl ethers, gasoline, and diesel exhaust.

Immunotherapy:

Treatment used to stimulate or restore the ability of the person's immune system to fight infection and disease, or to lessen side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Also called biological therapy or biological response modifier therapy.

Induction therapy:

The initial course of chemotherapy designed to induce remission.

Informed consent:

The process through which fully informed patients could participate in choices about their health care. Informed consent originates from the legal and ethical rights of patients to direct what happens to their bodies and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patients in their health care.

Invasive cancer:

Cancer that has spread beyond the layer of tissue in which it developed, and is growing into surrounding tissue. Also called infiltrating cancer.

Investigational drug:

A drug that has not yet been approved for commercial use in humans by the Food and Drug Administration.

Laser therapy:

The use of an intensely powerful beam of light to kill cancer cells.

Lobectomy:

Surgery that removes the lobe of the lung that contains the tumor. Lobectomy may be a surgical option available for operable non-small cell lung cancer.

Lymph nodes:

Small oval structures located throughout the lymphatic system that act as filters to keep foreign bodies from entering the bloodstream. They also produce lymphocytes, which are a component of the immune system. Also known as a lymph gland.

Malignant:

A cancer that invades nearby tissues or spreads to other parts of the body.

Mediastinum:

A mass of tissues and organs separating the two lungs. Includes the heart and its large vessels, the trachea, esophagus, thymus, lymph nodes, and other structures and tissues.

Metaplasia:

The change of adult tissue cells into an abnormal tissue.

Metastasis:

The spread of cancer from one part of the body (primary growth) to another.

Micrometastases:

The spread of cancer that is too small to be detected by routine screening tests.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is similar to a CT scan except is uses a magnetic field instead of X-rays to create an image.

The National Lung Screening Trial:

In 2002, the National Cancer Institute, the American College of Radiology, and the American Cancer Society launched the National Lung Screening Trial. Results are expected by 2010. Interim results are periodically announced in the medical literature.

Neoadjuvant therapy:

The use of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy prior to surgery in order to shrink tumor size and/or eradicate distant micrometastases that may cause relapse following local therapy.

Non-small cell lung cancer:

A heterogeneous group of cancers that grow and disseminate less rapidly than small cell lung cancer.

Oncology:

The field of medicine that treats cancer.

Opioid:

Synthetic chemical that has properties similar to naturally occurring opiates. Opioids, such as codeine and morphine, may be prescribed to treat pain.

Palliation:

The relief of symptoms without obtaining a cure.

Partial remission:

A response to therapy that involves tumor reduction of more than 50%.

Performance status:

Criteria used by doctors and researchers to assess how a patient's disease is progressing.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan:

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a scan that uses a cancer's rapidly dividing cells to make a diagnosis. Radiologists give the patient a radioactive sugar substance that will be absorbed more by the cancer than by normal tissues, due to the cancer cells' increased need for energy. The PET scan records the areas where the radioactivity is focused.

Physical examination:

Physical examination is important for detecting any signs of cancer such as swollen lymph nodes in the neck or collarbone area. A physical examination is also useful for evaluating overall health.

Platelets:

A type of blood cell that helps prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form. Also called thrombocytes.

Pleura:

The membrane that lines the inner surface of the chest wall and also covers the lungs.

Pneumonectomy:

The removal of an entire side of the lung.

Prognosis:

The likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery.

Radiation therapy:

The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy affects cancer cells in a targeted area.

Radiation exposure:

X-rays to the chest area can increase the risk of lung cancer, especially in people who smoke.

Radon:

An odorless gas released by some soil and rocks that contain uranium. Some homes may have high levels of radon, especially on the lower levels, because they are built on soil that naturally contains radon. You can purchase Environmental Protection Agency-approved kits in hardware stores to measure the amount of radon in your home. If you find you have high levels of radon in your home, there are steps you can take that will reduce the amount of radon in your home.

Recurrence:

The return of cancer after it has been treated or removed.

Red blood cells (RBCs):

Blood cells that carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Also called erythrocytes.

Remission:

The disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer. Remission may be temporary or permanent.

Resection:

The surgical removal of part of an organ.

Small cell lung cancer:

A type of lung cancer characterized by aggressive rapid growth of cancer starting in the normal lung cell. Also called oat cell carcinoma, this type of lung cancer cell appears small and round when viewed under a microscope.

Secondhand smoke:

The combination of smoke from the burning end of the cigarette and from exhaled smoke. Secondhand smoke has been established as a risk factor for developing lung cancer, as well as other illnesses, such as asthma.

Series of genetic changes:

For lung cancer to develop, suppressor genes (genes that normally serve as the brakes on cellular growth), and oncogenes (genes that encourage the cell to divide), have become mutated. Unlimited growth, in the face of no mechanism to stop or slow the growth, is what fuels the cancer. Other genetic changes occur in lung cancer as well. Researchers have pinpointed changes to specific genes that contribute to the disease and hope one day to develop specific agents to act on these changes before they can snowball into a cancer. Already, some targeted therapies and chemoprevention agents have been developed that work this way.

Spiral computerized tomography (spiral CT scan):

The spiral (or helical) CT scan is a CT scan that can image the lungs in a single breath hold. CT scans use a computer to create a two-dimensional scan from a series of x-ray images. CT scans show much more detail than x-rays and the new helical or spiral scans are even more sensitive than regular CT scans.

Sputum:

The substance expelled from the lungs that contain mucus, cellular debris, microorganisms, blood, or puss.

Sputum cytology:

Phlegm coughed up from the lungs is examined under a microscope to check for abnormal or cancerous cells. (See note under Chest X-ray)

Staging:

An attempt to define the extent of a cancer in each patient based on the size of the primary tumor and the presence or absence of lymphatic involvement or metastases.

Supraclavicular lymph nodes:

Lymph nodes located in the inferior deep cervical group located between the inferior belly of the shoulder muscle and the clavicle.

Synergy:

A process in which two drugs enhance the effect of one another so that, in combination, they produce a higher response than would be expected based on their activity alone.

Systemic:

Affecting the entire body.

Targeted therapies:

Drugs that are specifically designed to interfere with the functioning or formation of cancer cells. These drugs can block specific substances involved in cancer cell growth, or they can cause cancer cells to die. A National Cancer Institute fact sheet  explains targeted therapies and how they work.

TNM:

Staging of tumors according to three basic components: primary tumor (T), lymph node status (N), and metastases (M).

Tomography:

The visualization of internal body images across a pre-determined plane of tissue.

Tuberculosis:

Tuberculosis can cause scarring, which can be a risk factor for developing lung cancer.

Tumor:

An abnormal mass of tissue that results from excessive cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function and may be either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Tumor marker:

A substance sometimes found in a increased amount in the blood, other body fluids, or tissues, which may mean that a certain type of cancer is in the body. Also called a biomarker.

Trachea:

The windpipe connecting the larynx and the bronchi.

White blood cell:

A type of cell in the immune system that helps the body fight infection and disease. White blood cells include lymphocytes, granulocytes, and macrophages.