Topic: Medical terms
A substance which stimulates the immune system to respond to a threat, such as bacteria, viruses or cancer. A vaccine is a safe way to protect the body from these threats and prepare your immune system so it can respond quickly if you encounter that threat in the future. There are different types of vaccines […]
The time in a person’s life from the diagnosis of disease (e.g. cancer) until death. The study of survivorship evaluates a person’s quality of life, physically, mentally, and spiritually and tries to understand challenges and opportunities.
When a person does not receive immediate treatment, but instead has their health monitored regularly, with the option of future treatment if necessary. Also called active surveillance or watchful waiting. Surveillance testing: Ongoing monitoring using tests or screening to look for disease development, progression or recurrence over time. This is related to, but broader than, […]
Stage of cancer refers to the extent of your cancer, including the size and if/how much it has spread. It is important information for your treatment planning and to understand how serious your cancer is. The stage of a cancer can be determined by a variety of tests, including imaging (X-Ray, PET etc.). There are […]
An effect of a treatment or medical intervention that is in addition to, or beyond, its desired effect. Side effects can be harmful or beneficial, and most go away on their own over time. Others may last past treatment or appear long after treatment has ended (known as late effects). Long term side effects from […]
Cancer that remains after treatment has been given.
Surgical removal of a portion of any part of the body. For example, tumours are often resected, meaning they have been surgically removed from the body.
When the signs and symptoms of the cancer reduce or disappear. A partial remission is when there has been a significant reduction in symptoms, but some cancer is still present. A complete remission is when there is no evidence of active cancer. This may not mean that the cancer is cured.
Disease that does not respond to treatment. Also called treatment resistant disease.
The return of a disease after a period of improvement (remission).