Glossary

In your cancer journey you will come across many terms which need explaining. We cannot offer a complete list of explanations here but if you spot any that should be added please l.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Angiosarcoma - sarcoma of the blood vessels.

Chondrosarcoma - sarcoma with its origin in cartilage - usually treated as a bone sarcoma.

Chordoma - a very rare bone cancer in the spine.

Cisplatin - a platinum based chemotherapy which is used in treating osteosarcoma.

CNS - cancer nurse specialist.

Desmoid tumour - a rare fibrous tumour which can be locally aggressive but does not metastasise.

DFSP - dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. A rare fibrous sarcoma.

Doxorubicin - chemotherapy drug used as 'first-line' treatment in soft tissue sarcoma and often included in combination therapy for bone sarcomas.

Endo-prostheses - artificial bones used in limb salvage surgery for bone sarcomas.

ET743 - also known as Yondelis - an innovative drug developed from a primitive sea squirt. Has shown promise in early stage trials for treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.

Etoposide - a chemotherapy used in combination in bone sarcoma treatment.

Ewing's sarcoma - a bone sarcoma most commonly found in teenagers. It is named after the doctor who first identified it. There are rare instances of Ewing's tumours in soft tissue.

Gemcitabine - a chemotherapy drug which has shown some promise in early trials as a treatment in uterine sarcomas in association with other drugs.

GIST - gastrointestinal stromal tumour - a soft tissue sarcoma of the stomach and gut.

Glivec (imatinib) - new generation therapy for treating GIST. Taken as a daily tablet it has revolutionised the treatment of advanced and metastatic GIST.

Grade - the grade of a tumour is defined by the pathologist and is based on a measurement of how active the tumour is. A high grade cancer is more likely to spread.

Ifosfamide - chemotherapy drug used as 'second-line' in soft tissue sarcoma and as one of a cocktail of drugs with bone sarcoma.

Imatinib - see Glivec

Kaposi's sarcoma - a sarcoma of surface tissues which appears in people of Mediterranean origin. It is also associated with reduced immune systems and a version of Kaposi's sarcoma can affect HIV positive patients.

Leiomyosarcoma - sarcoma of soft muscle tissue. Soft muscle is the muscle you cannot control. One of the commoner soft tissue sarcomas.

Liposarcoma - sarcoma of fatty tissue. One of the commoner soft tissue sarcomas.

MDT - multi-disciplinary team - the medical team responsible for cancer treatment. An MDT will include all the major specialities, including pathology, nursing and other healthcare staff.

Metastasis (plural=metastases) - occurrence of cancer at a site distant from the first (or primary) tumour. In sarcoma this occurs most frequently in the lungs, in GIST it is usually in the liver.

MFH - malignant fibrous histiocytoma - a sarcoma which can affect soft tissue or, more rarely, bone.

MPNST - malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour. A rare soft tissue sarcoma also known as malignant schwannoma and neurogenic sarcoma.

Oncologist - doctor specialising in cancer. Oncologists may be surgical (surgeons), clinical (experts in radiotherapy) or medical (experts in drug treatments).

Osteosarcoma - the commonest of the bone sarcomas. It can occur at any age but is most often diagnosed in teenagers and young adults. In the more elderly it can be associated with Paget's disease.

Pathologist - the laboratory expert behind the front-line clinical team.

PNET - primitive neuroectodermal tumor - a bone sarcoma related to Ewings sarcoma.

Radiologist - a clinical expert in use of imaging and the diagnostic interpretation of images. May also be familiar with other diagnostic techniques.

Rhabdomyosarcoma - sarcoma of striated, or voluntary, muscle. The commonest soft tissue sarcoma in children.

RCT - randomised controlled trial - usually a Phase 3 clinical study comparing a standard and a new therapy.

Staging - a step in the clinical process when the MDT has all the results from tests, and possibly from surgery, and can decide by comparison with a standard description where in the disease pathway a patient is. This helps determine treatment and monitoring procedures.

SU011248 - a new generation therapy in trials as a back-up for GIST patients who fail Glivec.

Yondelis - see ET743