Bladder Glossary
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Bladder Glossary
Adjuvant therapy:
Anticancer drugs or hormones given after surgery and/or radiation to help prevent the cancer from coming back.
Alopecia:
Hair loss.
Anemia:
Having too few red blood cells. Symptoms of anemia include feeling tired, weak, and short of breath.
Anorexia:
Poor appetite.
Antiemetic:
A medicine that prevents or controls nausea and vomiting.
Benign:
A term used to describe a tumor that is not cancerous.
Biological therapy:
Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. Also called immunotherapy.
Blood count:
The number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood. This is also called the complete blood count (CBC).
Bone marrow:
The inner, spongy tissue of bones where red blood cells, white blood cells.
Cancer:
A general name for more than 100 diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control; a malignant tumor.
Catheter:
A thin flexible tube through which fluids can enter or leave the body.
Central venous catheter:
A special thin, flexible tube placed in a large vein. It remains there for as long as it is needed to deliver and withdraw fluids.
Chemotherapy:
The use of drugs to treat cancer.
Chromosomes:
Threadlike bodies found in the nucleus, or center part, of a cell that carry the information of heredity.
Clinical Trials:
Medical research studies conducted with volunteers. Each study is designed to answer scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent or treat cancer.
Colony-stimulating factors:
Substances that stimulate the producation of blood cells. Treatment with colony-stimulating factors (CSF) can help the blood-forming tissue recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These include granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSF).
Combination chemotherapy:
The use of more than one drug to treat cancer.
Diuretics:
Drugs that help the body get rid of excess water and salt.
Gastrointestinal:
Having to do with the digestive tract, which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
Hormones:
Natural substances released by an organ that can influence the function of other organs in the body.
Infusion:
Slow and/or prolonged intravenous delivery of a drug or fluids.
Injection:
Using a syringe and needle to push fluids or drugs into the body; often called a "shot."
Intra-arterial (IA):
Into an artery.
Intracavitary (IC):
Into a cavity, or space, specifically the abdomen, pelvis, or the chest.
Intralesional (IL):
Into the cancerous area in the skin.
Intramuscular (IM):
Into a muscle.
Intrathecal (IT):
Into the spinal fluid.
Intravenous (IV):
Into a vein.
Malignant:
Used to describe a cancerous tumor.
Metastasis:
When cancer cells break away from their original site and spread to other parts of the body.
Palliative care:
Treatment to relieve, rather than cure, symptoms caused by cancer. Palliative care can help people live more comfortably.
Peripheral neuropathy:
A condition of the nervous system that usually begins in the hands and/or feet with symptoms of numbness, tingling, burning and/or weakness. Can be caused by certain anticancer drugs.
Per os (PO):
By mouth, orally.
Platelets:
Special blood cells that help stop bleeding.
Port:
A small plastic or metal container surgically placed under the skin and attached to a central venous catheter inside the body. Blood and fluids can enter or leave the body through the port using a special needle.
Radiation therapy:
Cancer treatment with radiation (high-energy rays).
Red blood cells:
Cells that supply oxygen to tissues throughout the body.
Remission:
The disappearance of signs and symptoms of disease.
Stomatitis:
Sores on the inside lining of the mouth.
Subcutaneous (SQ or SC):
Under the skin.
Tumor:
An abnormal growth of cells or tissues. Tumors may be benign (non- cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
White blood cells:
The blood cells that fight infection.
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