Oncology Terms
Oncology is the study and treatment of cancer. These terms cover how normal cells become cancerous, the genes involved, the difference between benign and malignant tumors, how cancer spreads, and how it is treated.
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- AngiogenesisOncologyAngiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels from existing ones, needed for growth and healing and exploited by tumors to feed themselves.
- ApoptosisCell BiologyApoptosis is programmed cell death, a controlled process in which a cell dismantles itself in an orderly way without harming its neighbors.
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- CancerOncologyCancer is a group of diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control, invade nearby tissue and can spread to distant parts of the body.
- CarcinogenOncologyA carcinogen is any substance, radiation, microbe or other exposure that can cause cancer or raise the chance of it developing.
- CarcinomaOncologyA carcinoma is a cancer that starts in epithelial cells, the cells that cover the skin and line the inner and outer surfaces of organs.
- Cell cycleCell BiologyThe cell cycle is the ordered series of growth, DNA copying and division stages that a cell passes through to produce two daughter cells.
- ChemotherapyOncologyChemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with drugs that kill rapidly dividing cells or stop them from multiplying, usually given in repeated cycles.
- Cytotoxic T cellImmunologyA cytotoxic T cell is a white blood cell of adaptive immunity that finds and kills body cells infected by viruses or turned cancerous.
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- DNA methylationMolecular BiologyDNA methylation is the addition of a small methyl group to DNA, usually on cytosine, which can switch a gene off without changing its sequence.
- DNA repairMolecular BiologyDNA repair is the set of processes by which cells detect and correct damage and copying errors in their DNA, protecting the genome from mutation.
- DysplasiaPathologyDysplasia is the presence of abnormal-looking, disordered cells within a tissue, a precancerous change that may regress or progress to cancer.
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- LeukemiaOncologyLeukemia is a cancer of the blood-forming tissue, usually the bone marrow, that fills the marrow and blood with abnormal white blood cells.
- Lymph nodeImmunologyA lymph node is a small, bean-shaped organ of the lymphatic system that filters lymph and is where lymphocytes meet antigens to start immune responses.
- LymphomaOncologyLymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes, the immune cells of the lymphatic system, that usually forms solid tumors in lymph nodes and lymphoid tissue.
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- Malignant tumorOncologyA malignant tumor is a cancerous mass whose cells grow without control, invade surrounding tissue and can spread to distant organs.
- MetaplasiaPathologyMetaplasia is the replacement of one mature cell type by another in a tissue, usually as an adaptation to long-term irritation or injury.
- MetastasisOncologyMetastasis is the spread of a cancer from its first site to distant organs, where escaped cells settle and grow into secondary tumors.
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- TumorOncologyA tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue made by cells that multiply too much or fail to die on time; it can be benign or malignant.
- Tumor suppressor geneOncologyA tumor suppressor gene makes a protein that restrains cell division or repairs damage, so losing both working copies can help a cell turn cancerous.
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