KNH 411 Neoplastic and Immunological Terminology/Abbreviations
Terminology
Adjuvant chemotherapy: The use of drugs as additional treatment for patients with cancers that are thought to have spread outside their original sites.
Anti‐emetic: a pharmacologic agent that reduces nausea
Barrettt’s esophagus: a complication of severe chronic GERD involving changes in the cells of the tissues that line the bottom of the esophagus
Brachytherapy: a type of radiation therapy in which radioactive materials are placed in direct contact with the tissue being treated
CD4 cell: immune cell that is one of the primary targets of HIV for infection
Combination chemotherapy: the use of two or more antineoplastic agents to achieve maximum destruction of malignant cells
Dumping syndrome: symptoms that occur with rapid passage of large amounts of food from the stomach into the small intestine.
Dysgeusia: abnormalities in or reduced ability to taste
Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing
Dysphonia: difficulty speaking
Emetogenic: an agent that causes nausea and/or vomiting
Fusion inhibitors: medications that interrupt the viral replication cycle by inhibiting fusion of the HIV virus to the target cell
Integrase inhibitors: medications that interrupt the viral replication cycle by inhibiting integrase enzymes that allow the transcribed DNA to integrate into the host cell DNA
Lactic acidosis:
Lipodystrophy syndrome: loss or absence of fat or the abnormal distribution of fat in the body
Macrophage: a large, mononuclear phagocytic antigen-presenting cell derived from the blood monocyte and found in tissues
Mucositis: inflammation of a mucous membrane
Nadir: the lowest point, usually in reference to the white blood cell count
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: refers to chemotherapy used prior to primary treatment, which is typically surgery
Neutropenia: low white blood cell count
Odynophagia: painful swallowing
Oxidative stress: a disturbance in the pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance in favor of the former, leading to potential cell damage
Pallative: refers to a non-curative treatment that reduces symptoms such as pain
Prognosis: a prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disease, including expected response to treatment
Prokinetic: medications that cause the lower esophageal sphincter to close tightly, preventing gastric reflux
Protease inhibitors: a medication that prevents protein replication
Reverse transcriptase inhibitor: medications that interrupt the viral replication cycle by inhibiting reverse transcription enzymes that allow the viral RNA to be transcribed in DNA before being integrated into the host cell DNA
Retrovirus: a virus that carries RNA rather than DNA
Salvage: additional treatment, used in hope of malignancy following initial treatment
Terminal: refers to a condition or disease for which there is no cure
Viral load: the level of virus or viral markers measured in the blood
Xerostoma: dry mouth, often the result of damage to the salivary glands and decreased salivary production
Abbreviations
AIDS: acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome
AJCC: American Joint Committee on Cancer
ANC: absolute neutrophil count
ART: Antiretroviral Therapy
ARV: Antiretroviral treatment
AWS: AIDs wasting syndrome
BCM: Body cell mass
BRM: Biological response modifiers
CEA: Collie Eye anomaly
CINV: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
CRP: C-reactive protein
DCH: Delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity
ELISA: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
FIT: Fecal immunochemical test
FOBT: Fecal occult blood test
GVHD: Graft versus host disease
HAART: Highly active antiretroviral treatment
HMB: Heavy menstrual bleeding
HSCI: High-speed communications interface
IGF‐1: Insulin-like growth factor-1
RND: Reflex neurovascular dystrophy
RT: Reverse transcribed
SRS: Stereotactic Radiosurgery
TNM: Tumor, node, metastasis