Cancer and Oncology Terms

A substance being studied in the treatment of lung cancer.

Anal cancer forms in tissue of the anus and is distinct from the more common rectal cancer, which affects the adjoining bowel segment.

A pathologist's word for tumor cells so poorly formed that the tissue they grew out of can no longer be recognized.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is usually of the T-cell type.

A rare, aggressive type of thyroid cancer in which the malignant (cancer) cells look very different from normal thyroid cells.

A rare type of ovarian tumor in which the tumor cells secrete a male sex hormone.

Describes the ability of tumor cells to grow in the absence of androgens (hormones that promote the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics).

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

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma marked by enlarged lymph nodes and hypergammaglobulinemia (increased antibodies in the blood).

A harmless-sounding kidney growth of fat, muscle and tangled vessels whose real danger is not spread but sudden heavy bleeding.

Angiosarcoma is a rare cancer arising from cells lining blood or lymph vessels, sometimes linked to chronic lymphedema or specific chemical exposures.

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

An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of drugs called antineoplastic antibiotics.

A disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the part of the urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the body) that is closest to the outside of the body.

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

Treatment that borrows the immune system's own targeting protein, manufactured in bulk and aimed at one chosen molecule.

Treatment to stop or prevent cancer.

Having to do with preventing or delaying the development of cancer.

Antineoplastic drugs form the basis of chemotherapy, working through several distinct mechanisms to slow, damage, or destroy dividing cancer cells.

A type of anticancer drug that blocks cell growth by interfering with DNA, the genetic material in cells.