Presbyterian Healthcare 
Glossary of Cancer Research Terms
| Use this list to understand cancer research terms used commonly at Presbyterian. |
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Contact Us
Looking for more information on cancer research at Presbyterian? Ask your doctor, or call 704-384-5369 and ask for assistance from a cancer research nurse.
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Below is a glossary of terms that are commonly used to refer to cancer research and clinical trials.
A - G
H - P
Q - Z
A - G
H - P
Q - Z
A - G
- ACCRUAL:
- The number of patients entered in a study
- ADJUVANT:
- Treatment given in addition to surgery to increase the chances of a cure. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or biological therapy.
- ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT:
- Treatment that is used instead of acceptable treatments.
- ARM:
- A specific therapy program under study, often used interchangeably with treatment program, treatment regimen, treatment arm, or treatment. Used when referring to a particular treatment regimen in a study that has more than one regimen.
- ADVANCED TREATMENT:
- Patients are given anticancer drugs when the cancer has progressed or is not considered curable by surgical techniques.
- BENIGN (TUMOR):
- A tumor that is not cancerous. Benign tumors are rarely a threat to life and can usually be surgically removed.
- CHEMOTHERAPY:
- The treatment for cancer that uses powerful medications to weaken & destroy the cancer cells.
- CLINICAL TRIAL:
- A carefully planned research study designed to answer specific questions about a particular disease.
- DIAGNOSIS:
- The process of identifying a disease by its characteristic signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings.
- ELIGIBILITY:
- Criteria that must be met prior to patient entry onto a study.
H - P
- INTERGROUP:
- A collaboration of cooperative group.
- MALIGNANT:
- Cancerous abnormal uncontrolled growth of tissue.
- MALIGNANCY:
- a cancerous growth(see also metastases).
- METASTASES:
- The spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph system or blood stream.
- NEO-ADJUVANT:
- The use of treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy before surgery.
- ONCOLOGIST:
- A medical specialist who is trained to evaluate and treat cancer.
- ONCOLOGY:
- The science of dealing with the properties and features of cancer, including the causes and the disease process.
- PERFORMANCE STATUS:
- The physical status of a patient (Karnofsky scale, ECOG scale), which represents the level of activity.
- PLACEBO:
- A fake medicine "candy/sugar pill" or treatment that has no effect on the body.
- PREVENTION TRIALS:
- Studies involving healthy people who are at high risk for developing cancer. Prevention Trials try to answer specific questions about cancer risk and evaluate the effectiveness of ways to reduce cancer risk.
- PROTOCOLS:
- A formal document for a study, written by a scientist, that details the exact patient population, the treatment selection rational, hypothesis under study, method of treatment, method of observation, and data to be reported.
Q - Z
- RADIATION THERAPY:
- Use of radioactive beams or implants to kill cancer cells.
- RANDOMIZATION:
- A statistical plan by which treatments are assigned by chance to patients under study. Randomization is the basis of the statistical design used in the clinical trial setting.
- RELAPSE:
- The return of signs and symptoms of cancer after a period of improvement.
- STAGE OF DISEASE:
- An evaluation of the extent of the disease. Classifying disease based on stage at diagnosis helps to determine appropriate treatment and prognosis.
- TUMOR:
- Abnormal tissue growth that may be cancerous or non cancerous (benign).
- TUMOR GRADE:
- A classification of tumor size.
