Hi, my name is Saja. I have been studying in the Radiation Oncology program for only a semester and a half. However, I've picked up a lot of new vocabulary, specifically 20 terms, that I'd like to share with you through this glossary I made. While on the subject, radiation therapy is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to shrink tumors, control or kill cancer cells.
benign tumor
adjective
A tumor that is not cancerous.
Example: A benign tumour will not cause death or serious harm.
en: tumeur bénigne
biopsy
noun
An examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.
Example: A biopsy feels like a slight pinch as the anesthetic is being injected.
en: biopsie
carcinoma
noun
Malignant new growth made up of epithelial cells tending to infiltrate surrounding tissues and to give rise to metastases.
Example: In the absence of hemorrhoids, blood spots on the stool indicate carcinoma.
en: carcinome
diagnosis
noun
The identification of the nature of an illness or another problem by examination of the symptoms.
Example: She is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
en: diagnostic
dosimetrist
noun
A person who plans and calculates the proper amount of radiation dose for each treatment.
Example: Dosimetrists develop, optimize, and monitor patient treatment plans and provide oversight to high level treatment procedures.
en: dosimétiste
dosimetry
noun
Measuring the dose of radiation emitted by a radioactive source.
Example: Radiation dosimetry is the calculation of the absorbed dose in tissue resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation.
en: dosimétrie
external radiation
noun
Radiation therapy that uses a machine located outside of the body to aim high-energy rays at cancer cells.
Example: Evidence to date shows that external radiation levels are well within permissible limits.
en: rayonnement externe
gynecologic tumours
noun
Gynecologic cancers are malignant tumors within the female reproductive organs.
Example: Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate of all gynecologic cancers.
en: tumeurs gynécologiques
hemoptysis
noun
Coughing up of blood or bloody sputum from the lungs or airway.
Example: Hemoptysis is often an alarming presenting symptom.
en: hémoptysie
immunotherapy
noun
Treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response.
Example: Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that boosts the body's natural defenses to fight cancer.
en: immunothérapie
ionizing radiation
noun
Radiation consisting of particles, X-rays, or gamma rays with sufficient energy to cause ionization in the medium through which it passes.
Example: Radiation therapy is a therapy using ionizing radiation.
en: rayonnement ionisant
lesion
noun
A lesion is an area of tissue that has been damaged through injury or disease.
Example: Precancerous lesions are not invasive.
en: lésion
malignant
adjective
Cancerous.
Example: A malignant tumor can spread to other parts of the body.
en: maligne
metastasis
noun
The spread of a cancer from one part of the body to another; cells in the second tumor are like those in the original tumor.
Example: Some patients with metastasis of unknown origin do have responsive tumours.
en: métastase
neoplasm
noun
A new and abnormal growth of tissue in some part of the body, characteristic of cancer.
Example: It was suspected that she had developed a colonic neoplasm.
en: néoplasme
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
noun
A cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body's immune system.
Example: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the seventh most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
en: lymphome non hodgkinien
radiation therapist
noun
A radiation therapist is a health professional with special training who runs the equipment that delivers the radiation.
Example: Radiation therapists determine the exact location of the area needing treatment.
en: radiothérapeute
radiation therapy
noun
The treatment of cancer using X-rays or similar forms of radiation.
Example: High doses of radiation therapy are used to destroy cancer cells.
en: radiothérapie
sarcoma
noun
Sarcoma is the general term for a broad group of cancers that begin in the bones.
Example: Sarcomas of the soft tissue or bone are rare malignant (cancerous) tumours.
en: sarcome
tumour
noun
A mass of a tissue formed by a new growth of cells, normally independent of the surrounding structures.
Example: Tumors develop and function differently, depending on whether they are cancerous (malignant), non-cancerous (benign) or pre-cancerous.
