Medical Oncology Glossary

The formation of fibrous connective tissue around a tumor, creating a dense stromal response.

The degree to which cancer cells resemble normal cells of the same tissue type.

Time from treatment completion until disease recurrence or death from any cause.

Severe adverse effect that prevents further dose escalation in clinical trials.

Standardized scale measuring a cancer patient's functional ability and quality of life.

Genetic alterations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, commonly found in lung adenocarcinoma and targetable w...

Cellular process where epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal characteristics, promoting cancer invasion and metastasis.

Accidental leakage of chemotherapy drugs from a vein into surrounding tissue.

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging system for gynecologic malignancies.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization, a molecular technique to detect genetic abnormalities in cancer cells.

A chemotherapy regimen combining folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin.

Division of total radiation dose into multiple smaller doses delivered over time to maximize therapeutic effect.

Severe adverse event classification requiring medical intervention or hospitalization.

Life-threatening adverse event classification requiring urgent intervention.

Fatal adverse event classification indicating death related to the reported toxicity.

Standard unit of absorbed radiation dose, abbreviated as Gy, replacing the older unit rad.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; a protein that promotes cell growth and is overexpressed in some breast cancer...

Pathological assessment of tumor cell differentiation and growth pattern indicating biological aggressiveness.

The microscopic study of tissue structure and the specific tissue type of a tumor.

Elevated serum calcium levels caused by cancer, representing the most common paraneoplastic syndrome and an oncologic em...

A radiation therapy schedule using smaller doses delivered multiple times per day to increase total dose while reducing...

Interstitial lung disease, a serious pulmonary adverse event in cancer treatment.

Side effects caused by excessive immune system activation during checkpoint inhibitor therapy, affecting various organ s...

Cancer treatment that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer cells.