Cancer and Oncology Terms

The name describes what the tumor is made of rather than where it grew, which is why it appears in reports from so many organs.

An uncommon gland cancer known for creeping along nerves and for returning many years after treatment.

Though benign, some adenomas are still removed or monitored closely, since a subset carries a meaningful risk of transforming into cancer over time.

A tumor that is a mixture of an adenoma (a tumor that starts in the gland-like cells of epithelial tissue) and a sarcoma (a tumor that starts in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other…

A type of cancer that contains two types of cells: squamous cells (thin, flat cells that line certain organs) and gland-like cells.

A substance being studied in the treatment of melanoma, liver cancer, and other types of cancer.

In cancer therapy, a drug or substance used in addition to the primary therapy.

Extra treatment aimed at cells no scan can find, given because the visible tumor is rarely the whole story.

A treatment used to help the immune system fight diseases, such as cancer and infections with certain viruses.

Cancer starting in the adrenal glands is rare, while cancer found in them is not, because they attract spread from elsewhere.

A rare cancer that forms in the outer layer of tissue of the adrenal gland (a small organ on top of each kidney that makes steroid hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline to control heart rate…

A rare cancer of the adrenal gland's outer layer that often announces itself through the hormones it releases unchecked.

A drug that is used to treat many types of cancer and is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

A drug that is used to treat many types of cancer and is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma caused by the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1).

Cancer that has spread to other places in the body and usually cannot be cured or controlled with treatment.

Malignant mesothelioma (cancer that forms in the lining of the chest or abdomen) that is stage II, stage III, or stage IV.

A substance that is being studied in the treatment of cancer.

A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer.

A substance being studied in the treatment of several types of cancer.