terminology for newbies

From time to time,i check the Colon Club to see what they have might be of interest to this site. I originally found a list of abbreviations that helped me a lot. Today I checked, and there was this list just waiting to be liberated and reside on this site. If you are new, these terms should really help, and it's good refresher training for everyone. Thank Justsing for her work in this list.

Many people new to this disease and new to this board can get lost in the alphabet soup of the terminology. It's almost impossible to read an abstract of a clinical trial without some of these terms and abbreviations.

This thread is an attempt to offer a primer in "colon-cancer-speak."

I have combined the various posts into a semi-alphabetical list. If you have any additions, please post them and I will insert them into the list. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the MANY people who have contributed to this thread!!!

-justsing


ACRONYM ABBREVIATIONS:

ac = before meals
ADL = activities of daily life (eating, dressing, showering, etc.)
Anti-angiogenesis - the process of stopping new blood vessels from forming
APR = anterior perineal resection
Bevacizumab (Avastin) - a drug used to stop new blood vessels from forming
BID = twice a day
CBC – Complete Blood Count – see expanded explanation below
CEA - Carcino-embryonic Antigen - this is a tumor marker for Colon Cancer.
Cetuximab (Erbitux) - HELP!
CR = Complete response to chemotherapy
CR = Complete response to chemotherapy
CRC - colorectal cancer
DH - Dear Husband
DFS - disease free survival - used to describe the time that a patient is NED
DX - diagnosis
EGFR - Epithelial Growth Factor Receptor - the key to Erbitux and Vectibix's actions
FOLFIRI - chemo regimen using 5-FU, Leucovorin and Irinotecan (Camptosar)
FOLFOX - chemo regimen using 5-FU, Leucovorin, and Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)
HIPEC - heated chemotherapy used to wash out the peritoneal/abdominal cavity
hs = at bed time
HNPCC - a genetic condition which runs in families and indicates a predisposition to GI and OB-GYN cancers.
KRAS - a part of the DNA of the cancer cell which they now know has a connection to whether the EGFR class of drugs will be effective on your cancer.
KRASmt - Mutant Type - means that the cancer's KRAS gene HAS mutated, and thus is unlikely to respond to the EGFR drugs
KRASwt - Wild Type - means that the cancer's KRAS gene has not mutated and will respond to the EGFR drugs
LAR – Low Anterior Resection – surgery used for rectal cancer
LAR = low anterior resection
LN - Lymph node
mCRC - metastatic colorectal cancer
Met - metastasis
MRD - minimal residual disease
NED - no evidence of disease
NG tube (nasogastric tube)
OS - overall survival
Oxi - shorthand for Oxaliplatin
Panitumibab (Vectibix) - HELP!
pc = after meals
PD = Progressive disease while on chemotherapy
PD = Progressive disease while on chemotherapy
PFS - progression free survival - used to describe the time that a patient is stable, or showing no worsening/progression of the disease
PR = Partial response to chemotherapy
PR = Partial response to chemotherapy
PRN - 'pro ne rata' meaning when necessary
PS - Performance Status - a term used to describe your overall ability to function, dressing yourself, eating, physical activity, etc.
PSD - peritoneal surface disease - means that the cancer has spread to the abdominal cavity and is on the surface of the organs rather than within the organs
PX - prognosis
QD = every day
QID = four times a day
QOD = every other day
RCa = rectal cancer
RFA - Radio Frequency Ablation
Temp = temporary, as in “temp ileo”
TID - three times a day
TNM – a system of staging cancer
TPE or CPE = total (or complete) pelvic exenteration (used to be called pelvic evisceration). It's complete removal of all remaining organs in the pelvis, including the bladder, and usually requires double ostomies.
TPN = total parenteral nutrition, or nutrient liquid delivered via IV or PICC line.
TX - treatment
VEGF - Vascular endothelial growth factor - the part of the cancer cell dealing with new blood vessel formation
XELIRI - Xeloda and Irinotecan
Xeloda (Capecitabine) - Oral 5-FU (pill form)
XELOX - Xeloda and Oxaliplatin - also called CAPOX for CAPecitabine and OXaliplatin

Definition of Anatomic orientation terms

Anatomic orientation terms: In anatomy, certain terms are used to denote orientation. For example, a structure may be horizontal, as opposed to vertical.

Some of the terms of anatomic orientation are as follows:

* Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior.
* Anteroposterior: From front to back, as opposed to posteroanterior.
* Caudad: Toward the feet (or tail in embryology), as opposed to cranial.
* Caudal: Pertaining to, situated in, or toward the tail or the hind part. Or below another structure.
* Cranial: Toward the head, as opposed to caudad.
* Deep: Away from the exterior surface or further into the body, as opposed to superficial.
* Distal: Further from the beginning, as opposed to proximal.
* Dorsal: The back, as opposed to ventral.
* Horizontal: Parallel to the floor, a plane passing through the standing body parallel to the floor.
* Inferior: Below, as opposed to superior.
* Inferolateral: Below and to one side. Both inferior and lateral.
* Lateral: Toward the left or right side of the body, as opposed to medial.
* Medial: In the middle or inside, as opposed to lateral.
* Posterior: The back or behind, as opposed to the anterior.
* Posteroanterior: From back to front, as opposed to anteroposterior.
* Pronation: Rotation of the forearm and hand so that the palm is down (and the corresponding movement of the foot and leg with the sole down), as opposed to supination.
* Prone: With the front or ventral surface downward (lying face down), as opposed to supine.
* Proximal: Toward the beginning, as opposed to distal.
* Sagittal: A vertical plane passing through the standing body from front to back. The mid-sagittal, or median plane, splits the body into left and right halves.
* Superficial: On the surface or shallow, as opposed to deep.
* Superior: Above, as opposed to inferior.
* Supination: Rotation of the forearm and hand so that the palm is upward (and the corresponding movement of the foot and leg), as opposed to pronation.
* Supine: With the back or dorsal surface downward (lying face up), as opposed to prone.
* Transverse: A horizontal plane passing through the standing body parallel to the ground.
* Ventral: Pertaining to the abdomen, as opposed to dorsal.
* Vertical: Upright, as opposed to horizontal.


TERMS AND TOPICS IN ATTEMPTED ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Adenoma - Non-cancerous polyps that are considered precursors to colon and rectal cancer.
Adjuvant - chemo treatment that follows surgical removal of all the cancer they can find -- it generally refers to treatment done when the patient is presumably cancer free


Anti-emetic - any kind of drug that is used to combat nausea and vomiting

BLOODWORK:
CBC: Complete blood count, including both hematology and serum chemistry analysis. Hematology can usually be run quickly, and checks things like white counts and red blood cell counts. Serum chem analysis takes longer (the machine runs more slowly.)

CBC - complete blood count also known as a hemogram

A complete blood count will normally include:

Red cells
Total red blood cells - The number of red cells is given as an absolute number per litre.

Hemoglobin - The amount of hemoglobin in the blood, expressed in grams per decilitre. (Low hemoglobin is called anemia.)

Hematocrit or packed cell volume (PCV) - This is the fraction of whole blood volume that consists of red blood cells.

Red blood cell indices:
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) - the average volume of the red cells, measured in femtolitres. Anemia is classified as microcytic or macrocytic based on whether this value is above or below the expected normal range. Other conditions that can affect MCV include thalassemia and reticulocytosis.

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) - the average amount of hemoglobin per red blood cell, in picograms.

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) - the average concentration of hemoglobin in the cells.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) - a measure of the variation of the RBC population

White cells
Total white blood cells - All the white cell types are given as a percentage and as an absolute number per litre.

A complete blood count with differential will also include:

Neutrophil granulocytes - May indicate bacterial infection. May also be raised in acute viral infections.Because of the segmented appearance of the nucleus, neutrophils are sometimes referred to as "segs." The nucleus of less mature neutrophils is not segmented, but has a band or rod-like shape. Less mature neutrophils - those that have recently been released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream - are known as "bands" or "stabs". Stab is a German term for rod.

Lymphocytes - Higher with some viral infections such as glandular fever and. Also raised in lymphocytic leukaemia CLL. Can be decreased by HIV infection. In adults, lymphocytes are the second most common WBC type after neutrophils. In young children under age 8, lymphocytes are more common than neutrophils.

Monocytes - May be raised in bacterial infection, tuberculosis, malaria, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, monocytic leukemia, chronic ulcerative colitis and regional enteritis

Eosinophil granulocytes - Increased in parasitic infections, asthma, or allergic reaction.

Basophil granulocytes- May be increased in bone marrow related conditions such as leukemia or lymphoma.

A manual count will also give information about other cells that are not normally present in peripheral blood, but may be released in certain disease processes.

Platelets
Platelet numbers are given, as well as information about their size and the range of

Interpretation

A healthy patient's view of a Complete Blood Count (CBC) test result as delivered on the Web by Kaiser-Permenente HMO in San Jose, CA. It is formatted through Epic Systems Corporation's MyChart system.
Certain disease states are defined by an absolute increase or decrease in the number of a particular type of cell in the bloodstream. For example:

Type of Cell Increase Decrease
Red Blood Cells (RBC) erythrocytosis or polycythemia anemia or erythroblastopenia
White Blood Cells (WBC): leukocytosis leukopenia
-- lymphocytes -- lymphocytosis -- lymphocytopenia
-- granulocytes: -- granulocytosis -- granulocytopenia or agranulocytosis
-- --neutrophils -- --neutrophilia -- --neutropenia
-- --eosinophils -- --eosinophilia -- --eosinopenia
-- --basophils -- --basophilia -- --basopenia
Platelets thrombocytosis thrombocytopenia
All cell lines --- pancytopenia

Many disease states are heralded by changes in the blood count:

leukocytosis can be a sign of infection.
thrombocytopenia can result from drug toxicity.
pancytopenia is generally as the result of decreased production from the bone marrow, and is a common complication of cancer chemotherapy.

References
http://www.missouricancer.com/index.jsp?page=cbc
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... /test.html

CAREGIVER SUPPORT

These links were provided by ktpartner. THANKS!!!!

http://www.caregiver.org
http://www.familycaregiving101.org
http://www.nofec.org and http://www.care-givers.com

There are several books too: The american cancer society has : "caring for the patient with cancer at home- a guide for patients and families"