Medical

A particular cancer treatment drug. See chemotherapy. more...

A transplant that uses bone marrow or stem cells that are donated by someone else.

When hair on your body or head falls out because of chemo or radiation therapy. Hair will most likely grow back.

Not enough red blood cells or hemoglobin (which is part of red blood cells). Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and cells. The body needs oxygen to produce energy. more...

Medication to reduce or prevent nausea (feeling like you want to throw up) and vomiting (throwing up).

The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.

A transplant that uses your own bone marrow or stem cells.

Non-cancerous or non-malignant (no cancer).

A (small) operation to remove a small piece of tissue, which is sent to a lab to see if it contains cancer cells.

Blood contains different types of cells circulating within the body suspended in a fluid called plasma. These cells include red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the body's tissues; white blood cells, which are an important part of the immune system; and platelets, which are involved in blood clotting. more...

The soft part at the centre of the major bones. Bone marrow creates red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Treatment that first kills the old bone marrow, then replaces it with new marrow from a compatible donor. The object is to introduce new healthy stem cells.

See intestine.

A general term for more than 100 diseases. Cancer is when abnormal cells grow out of control in your body's organs and tissues. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

The most common type of cancer. They may start in the bowel, breasts, cervix, lungs, kidneys, ovaries, prostate gland, or in the skin.

Complete Blood Count. A set of tests that counts red blood cells (including hemoglobin), white blood cells, and platelets. more...

The effects of chemo therapy on the brain. "For a given individual, chances are that their cognitive function will recover to normal or near-normal levels a year or two after chemo." more...

Cancer treatment that uses drugs (there are many kinds) to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. 5FU was my drug for treatment.

A type of radiation used to give external radiation therapy.

Long, coiled, tube-like organ that removes water from digested food. Also called "large intestine." more...

A system to describe the extent of spread of the cancer.
See www.thedoctorslounge.com for other tumours. more...

A flexible, lighted instrument with a built-in tiny camera used to view the inside of the entire colon and rectum.

Colonoscopy lets the physician look inside your entire large intestine, from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way up through the colon to the lower end of the small intestine. more...

Related to the colon, rectum, or both.

Cancer in the colon and/or rectum. more...

A colostomy is a surgically created opening in which a portion of the digestive tract is brought to the abdominal surface, where waste is expelled. A colostomy may be required when part of the bowel doesn't work and an alternate route must be created for the flow of waste. The opening the surgeon creates is called a stoma. more...

Combination therapy is when more than one treatment is used to treat your cancer. For example, you may have surgery and radiation therapy, or surgery and chemotherapy, etc.

Not being able to have a bowel movement.

Computed Tomography (CT) imaging, also known as "CAT scanning" (Computed Axial Tomography). more...

When all signs of cancer are gone and there is no chance it will come back.

When your doctor finds out what your health problem is. Doctors will diagnose a disease by listening to what signs and symptoms you have, doing a physical check-up and sometimes doing tests to provide more detailed information.

Diarrhea means that you have more than three bowel movements per day and that what comes out is watery (not solid). more...

A person who is trained to give you advice about food and nutrition.

The digestive system is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. more...

A series of x-rays of the colon and rectum. The x-rays are taken after the patient is given an enema, followed by an injection of air. The barium outlines the intestines on the x-rays, allowing many abnormal growths to be visible.

A method of indicating how far a cancer has progressed.
Some insurance companies will base their decision to pay a claim based on Dukes classification. more...

Feeling very tired or weak. A common side effect of cancer and cancer treatments.

A test to check for hidden blood in stool. Fecal refers to stool. Occult means hidden. Sometimes called "F.O.B.T."

Also called proctosigmoidoscopy. A procedure in which the doctor looks inside the rectum and the lower portion of the colon (sigmoid colon) through a flexible, lighted tube called a sigmoidoscope. The doctor may collect samples of tissue or cells for closer examination and remove some polyps within view. more...

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the digestive system (which includes the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, intestines, and liver).

The part of the digestive tract where the body processes food and eliminates waste. It includes the esophagus, stomach, liver, intestines, and rectum.

A doctor who has special training in treating women with tumours of the ovary, womb, or cervix.

A group of health care professionals that treat and support people with cancer. The team includes your doctor, nurse, dietician, pharmacist, radiation therapist, social worker and others.

A doctor who has special training in treating blood diseases, such as leukemia.

The protein found in the red blood cells, which carries oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our body. more...

Cancer treatment that uses hormones (given as drugs) to treat some kinds of cancer.

Proteins produced by your body, which move around in your blood. Hormones control how you grow, how you burn up the food you eat, and how you reproduce.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

An ileostomy is a stoma that has been constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine (the ileum) out onto the surface of the skin. Intestinal waste passes out of the ileostomy and is collected in an external pouching system stuck to the skin. Ileostomies are usually sited above the groin on the right hand side of the abdomen.
Ileostomies are slowly being replaced by the now preferred alternative K-Pouch or BCIR. This surgery turns the small intestine into an internal reservoir thus eliminating the need for an external appliance. more...

Cancer treatment that uses your body's immune system to fight cancer cells.

Also called a needle or shot. An injection is when a needle is used to put fluids into your body.

The long, tube-shaped organ in the abdomen, also called the "bowel", that completes the process of digestion. There are both a large and small intestine.

An injection that allows fluids to go right into a vein. The IV system includes a needle that goes into your hand, arm, or chest, connected to a thin tube, which is connected to a bag that contains a liquid.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), also called spastic colon, is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements. Diarrhea or constipation may predominate. IBS may begin after an infection or a stressful life event. more...

Cancer of the white blood cells.

Cancer of the lymph system. This system is made up of the spleen, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels. The lymph system carries food, oxygen, and water to cells in your tissues.

Cancerous; with cancer.

A doctor who diagnoses and treats people with cancer, mainly using chemotherapy (drugs) or hormone therapy.

The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another through the bloodstream of lymph system.

Feeling like you might throw up. Having an upset stomach that makes you feel like you will throw up.

Lack of adequate white blood cells to fight off infections. more...

Person who is trained to give advice about food and nutrition.

A doctor who has special training in treating cancer.

A nurse who is trained to support you and your family and help you understand about your cancer and treatment. The nurse may give you your treatments, and can help you cope with any side effects or other problems.

See stoma.

A doctor who looks at cells and tissues under a microscope to see whether or not they are normal.

A PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) is a long, thin, flexible tube or catheter. It is inserted into one of the large veins of the arm near the bend of the elbow. It is then pushed into the vein until the tip sits in a large vein just above your heart. more...

Cells that help you form blood clots, to stop bleeding. more...

An abnormal, often precancerous growth of tissue (colorectal polyps are growths of tissue inside the intestine).

The likely outcome of a disease. Your prognosis provides answers to questions like: Will I be able to live a normal life? Will I be cured? Will I die?

A doctor who has special training in treating cancer using radiation therapy.

A health care professional who is trained to give radiation therapy, and to support you during radiation treatments.

The use of high-energy radiation from x-ray machines, cobalt, radium, or other sources to control or cure cancer.

The last 8 to 10 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until it leaves the body through the anus.

Blood cells that contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our body. Red blood cells also carry carbon dioxide (a waste product) from our body back to our lungs so we can breathe it out. more...

When the signs and symptoms of cancer disappear, and no more active cancer cells can be found.

A type of cancer that starts in muscles, bones, and cartilage.

"Screening tests" are tests used to check, or screen, for disease when there are no symptoms. Screening tests for colorectal cancer include: fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and double contrast barium enema. (When a test is performed to find out why symptoms exist, it is called a "diagnostic test").

Side effects are unwanted results of drug treatments. Drugs without side effects are rare. Always read information provided with the drugs. Gerry's side effects of chemo treatment add up to at least nine. more...

A flexible, lighted instrument with a built-in tiny camera that allows the doctor to view the lining of the rectum and lower portion of the colon.

Enables the physician to look at the inside of the large intestine from the rectum through the last part of the colon, called the sigmoid or descending colon. more...

A type of cancer treatment. It is like a bone marrow transplant, except that you get the stem cells themselves.

A stoma is the rerouting of your colon through your abdominal wall and skin. more...

The waste matter discharged in a bowel movement; feces.

A test to check for hidden blood in the bowel movement. (see also Fecal Occult Blood Test)

An injection where a needle enters your body just under the skin. (Unlike intravenous, where the needle goes into a vein.)

An operation.

A doctor who has special training to operate on people with cancer.

Expressed as a percentage of the total number of cases, survival rates indicate the proportion of people with the same disease that will be alive over a given amount of time. Usually it is expressed as a five year survival rate. Overall survival rate includes all causes of death, including cancer. Relative cancer survival rate removes all causes of death, except cancer.

A test that is often used to detect latent TB infection. A liquid called tuberculin is injected under the skin on the lower part of your arm. If you have a positive reaction to this test, you probably have latent TB infection.

When blood or blood products go into your body through an intravenous (IV) system (see intravenous injection).

A set of instructions that gives all the details about how you will get your cancer treatments.

A liquid that is injected under the skin on the lower part of your arm during a TB skin test. If you have latent TB infection, you will probably have a positive reaction to the tuberculin.

TB, or tuberculosis, is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can attack any part of your body, but they usually attack the lungs.

A lump or group of cells. A tumour can be either benign (without cancer) or malignant (with cancer).

The body's defense system. White blood cells fight infection by catching and killing germs (bacteria) that get into the blood. Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell. more...

A type of radiation used to find out about (or diagnose) medical problems. When x-rays are used at high levels, they can treat some kinds of cancer. This is called radiation therapy.