66. Cancer

See also 122. DISEASE and ILLNESS .

adenocele

a cystic tumor that may develop in the glands.

adenosarcoma

a malignant glandular tumor of the soft tissues of the body.

astroblastoma

a malignant tumor that may invade the brain and spinal cord, especially investing blood vessels.

astrocytoma

a brain tumor composed of large, star-shaped cells called astrocytes.

blastoma

a neoplasm arising in the blastema, i.e., tissue from which an organ or part is formed. Also blastocytoma.

cancericidal

of or pertaining to a chemical or process than can destroy malignant cells.

cancerophobia

carcinomophobia.

cancroid

1. of or pertaining to a lesion that resembles cancer.

2. a malignant skin cancer.

carcinectomy

the surgical removal of a cancer.

carcinogen

any natural or artificial substance that can produce or trigger cancer, as arsenic, asbestos, ionizing radiation, ultraviolet rays, x rays, and many derivatives of coal tar. — carcinogenic, adj.

carcinoid

a small, yellow tumor that may develop from argentaffin cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa and spread widely throughout the body.

carcinolysis

the destruction of malignant cells, as by an antineoplastic drug.

carcinoma

1. a malignant tumor that may spread to surrounding tissue and distant areas of the body.

2. any kind of epithelial cancer. — carcinomatous, adj.

carcinomatosis

carcinosis.

carcinomophobia, carcinomatophobia, carcinophobia

an abnormal fear of cancer. Also called cancerophobia.

carcinophilia

an afflnity for cancerous tissue, a property of certain chemical agents. — carcinophilic, adj.

carcinosis

1. an abnormal condition characterized by the growth of numer-ous carcinomas throughout the body. Also carcinomatosis.

2. the process of development of carcinoma.

carcinostatic

of or pertaining to the slowing or stopping of the growth of a carcinoma.

celiothelioma

mesothelioma.

cerebroma

any abnormal mass of brain tissue, malignant or benign.

chemosurgery

a therapeutic procedure that uses chemicals to destroy pathogenic tissue, especially skin cancers.

chemotherapy

a procedure that uses radioisotopes of various elements, as iodine, phosphorus, and gold, to treat cancers of the thyroid gland, lungs, and other organs.

chloroma

a malignant, greenish tumor that invades myeloid tissue and fluoresces red under ultraviolet light.

chondrocarcinoma

a malignant cartilageous tumor of the epithelium.

chondrosarcoma

a malignant cartilageous tumor that most frequently invades the long bones, pelvis, and the scapula.

chordoma

a rare congenital tumor of the brain.

chorioblastoma

choriocarcinoma.

choriocarcinoma

a uterine malignancy that may develop shortly after conception, during pregnancy, or after an abortion. Also called chorioblastoma, chorionic epithelioma .

comedocarcinoma

a malignant tumor of the mammary ducts.

cystoma

any neoplasm or tumor that contains cysts, especially any such tumor that invades the ovaries.

cytotechnology

the study of human cells, especially to detect signs of cancer. — cytotechnologist, n. — cytotechnolqgic, adj.

erythroleukemia

a malignancy of the blood characterized by abnormally productive bone marrow and the development of oddly-shaped blood cells.

glioma

any of the predominant category of brain tumors composed of cancerous glial cells (a type of nerve cell).

hepatoma

a malignant tumor of the liver that most commonly occurs in association with hepatitis or cirrhosis,

leukemia

a malignancy of blood-producing tissues, characterized by proliferating immature white blood cells and infiltration of the spleen, liver, and other organs. Also leukocythemia. — leukemie, leukemoid, adj.

leukocythemia

leukemia.

liposarcoma

a cancerous growth of primitive fat cells. Also called lipoma sarcomatode.

lymphoma

a growth of lymphoid tissue that is commonly cancerous and typically enlarges the lymph nodes.

medulloblastoma

a malignant tumor that commonly originates in the cere-bellum.

melanoma

any malignant growth, especially in the skin, that is composed of melanin-producing cells.

mesothelioma

a rare malignant tumor that may invade the linings of the lungs and the abdomen. Also called celiothelioma.

metastasis

the spread of malignancies, characterized by the cancerous invasion of the lymphatic system, the blood, and body organs. — metastatic, adj. — metastasize, v.

neoplasia

the abnormal proliferation of benign or malignant cells. — neoplastic, adj.

neoplasm

the abnormal development of benign or cancerous tissue. — neoplastic, adj.

neurinoma

a tumor that develops in a neural sheath and that may become malignant.

neuroblastoma

a highly malignant tumor that may develop from the neural plate in an embryo and spread to the bones, liver, and other organs.

neurosarcoma

a malignant growth composed of neural, connective, and vascular tissues. Also called malignant neuroma.

oncogenesis

the process by which a tumor develops. — oncogenic, adj.

oncology

the field of medicine that specializes in the study of tumors.

osteoclastoma

a giant cell bone tumor that most commonly develops at the end of a long bone.

osteosarcoma

a malignant bone tumor. Also called osteogenic sarcoma .

retinoblastoma

a common childhood malignancy of the eye that develops from retinal cells.

sarcoma

a rare malignant tumor of the soft tissues that commonly develops in the lower extremities.

ulocarcinoma

a malignancy of the gums.