Resources

Glossary of Terms

S - U

S

Salvage therapy: Treatment that is used when the cancer has not responded to standard treatments or after the cancer has relapsed.

Secondary malignancy: Cancer that develops after treatment for a first cancer but is not related to the first cancer. Some lymphoma treatments have been linked to a small likelihood of secondary malignancies including solid tumours and leukemia.

Side effect: Secondary effect caused by cancer treatment.

Single-agent chemotherapy: Chemotherapy treatment that utilizes only one chemotherapy drug.

Sperm banking: Freezing sperm for future use. This procedure can allow men to father children after loss of fertility.

Spleen: An organ that is an important part of the lymphatic system. The spleen is located in the top left-hand corner of the abdomen, below the ribcage. The spleen is involved in lymphocyte production and storage, and also works to store and filter the blood and remove aging blood cells from the circulation.

Splenectomy: Surgical removal of the spleen. This is sometimes done during staging of lymphoma.

Splenomegaly: Abnormal enlargement of the spleen.

Stable disease: A term used when the cancer does not get better or worse following treatment.

Stage: Describes the extent to which a cancer has spread within the body. There are four stages of NHL: stages I and II are limited (involving a limited area) and stages III and IV are advanced (more widespread).

Staging: Determining the stage of the lymphoma. Staging may be done by physical examination, medical testing, or surgery.

Standard therapy: Treatment that has been proven effective and is widely used as primary therapy for cancer.

Standard treatment: Treatment that has been proven effective and is commonly used.

Stem-cell collection: See apheresis.

Stem cells: Primitive cells found mostly in the bone marrow but also in the bloodstream. Stem cells are capable of becoming several types of mature blood cells making them effective at rejuvenating the circulatory and immune systems in case of damage.

Stem-cell transplant: A procedure that replaces diseased stem cells with health stem cells. The patient receives high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill off all the cancer cells, and then receives healthy stem cells that can come form the patient themselves (autologous transplant) or from a compatible donor (allogeneic transplant). Stem cells can be harvested from either the peripheral (circulating) blood, called a peripheral blood stem-cell transplant (PBSCT), or from the bone marrow, called a bone marrow transplant.

Sterility: Inability to conceive or produce a child.

Stomatitis: Inflammation of the mouth.

Subcutaneous (SQ or SC): Under the skin.

Support group: A group of individuals who meet on a regular basis to exchange mutual support, often focusing on a shared area of difficulty. Many groups are organized at hospitals or treatment centres and people meet others live with a trained leader. Recently support groups can also meet on the Internet and chats are sometimes hosted by survivors.

Survivorship: Living with a history of cancer, from the time of diagnosis on, regardless of the treatment outcome.

Symptoms: Physical signs of a disease.

Synergism: A term used in cancer treatment when two or more drugs given in combination provide a more beneficial effect than either drug alone.

Syngeneic bone marrow transplant: A bone marrow transplant where the donor is an identical twin to the patient.

Systemic: Affecting the entire body.

Systemic symptoms: Symptoms that affect the whole body rather than just one area or organ. Examples of systemic symptoms include fever, night seats and weight loss.

T

T-cell (T-lymphocyte): A subset of lymphocytes that recognize and destroy abnormal body cells (e.g., virus-infected cells and cancer cells) and play an important role in fighting infection. The “T” stands for thymus, the gland where T-cells mature.

T-cell lymphoma/leukemia: A condition caused by infection with the retro-virus human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I. Classified as an aggressive NHL.

Taste alteration: Temporary change in taste that may be a side effect of chemotherapy, cancer or radiation.

Tattoo: In radiation therapy, the term used for the ink marking made on the body to clearly outline the radiation field. This ensures that the appropriate area is targeted for radiation and that the same area is treated each time.

Terminal: Describes an advanced disease with limited life expectancy.

Thrombocyte: A blood cell that helps to control bleeding by inducing clotting. Also called a platelet.

Thrombocytopenia: A lower than normal level of platelets in the blood. Platelets are important in blood clotting, such that a shortage may result in increased bleeding or bruising.

Thymus gland: A gland that is part of the lymphatic system there T-cells complete their development. The thymus is located behind the sternum (breastbone) in the chest.

Tissue: A group of cells that work together to perform a specific function in the body.

Topical: Applied directly to the skin.

Toxicities: The unwanted side effects of medications. Common toxicities of cancer treatments include hair loss, nausea and vomiting.

Transformed NHL: The term used when an indolent NHL changes or transforms into a more aggressive form of NHL.

Transplant: The transfer of healthy tissue to replace damaged tissue. The healthy tissue can come from the patient themselves (autologous transplant) or from a matched donor (allogeneic transplant).

Treatment failure: A worsening of the cancer despite treatment. The term is often used interchangeably with the term disease progression.

Total body irradiation (TBI): Radiation aimed at the entire body to destroy cancer cells. Often used in bone marrow transplants possibly with chemotherapy to destroy cancer (which also destroys the immune system’s ability to make blood cells hence the transplant of cells back into the patient).

Tumour: An abnormal mass of dividing cells that serves no useful bodily function. Tumours can be either be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Tumour board: A group of specialists who meet regularly to discuss management of individuals who have cancer.

Tumour burden: The amount of cancer cells present in the body.

Tumour marker: Proteins and other substances found in the blood that signify the presence of cancer somewhere in the body.

U

Ultrasound/ultrasonography: A technique in which high-frequency sound waves bounce off internal organs and their echoes are changed into pictures of organs inside the body.

Undifferentiated: Cells that lack a specialized structure and function.

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