The process of collecting cells or tissue with a needle and transferring it to a microscope slide to determine the cell type.
A tumor of a mild type or character that does not typically metastasize or leave the primary site.
The surgical removal and examination of tissue from the body.
Cancer is the common term used to describe a neoplastic process (tumor) in the body with a tendency to metastasize.
This blood test measures the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the body.
This blood test helps to check different organ functions within the body (liver, kidneys, etc.).
Technically, this term simply means treatment with drugs, but it has become synonymous with cancer chemotherapy in our culture. Chemotherapy drugs are commonly used to damage DNA in order to target rapidly dividing cancer cells. This property explains some of the side effects we see such as low white blood cell and platelet counts, as these contain populations of rapidly dividing normal cells.
X-ray-based imaging in which a three-dimensional image of a body structure can be constructed from a series of cross-sectional images of a patient’s body.
A diagnostic test where cells removed by aspirate or impression smear are evaluated by a pathologist to predict the type of tissue from which they were collected. A definitive diagnosis can be made using this method for some tumors. For other tumors, cells are too similar in appearance to make a definitive diagnosis, but a broad category of tumor can be determined.
Proliferation of tissue that is typically regarded as premalignant.
The microscopic examination of tissue removed by biopsy. This procedure is generally the gold standard for cancer diagnosis.
Increase in the number of normal cells that results in an increase in the size of the affected tissue.
The process of using the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells in the body.
A tumor that has the ability to metastasize (spread) throughout the body. The term describes cancers.
A doctor that has specialized in the medical treatment of cancer. Medical oncologists often develop a total therapy plan in consultation with surgeons and radiation oncologists.
When a tumor leaves its original site and successfully grows in another site in the body, this new lesion is called a metastasis.
The number of cells dividing per 10 high-power microscopic fields. A measure of tumor aggressiveness in some cancer types.
Abnormal new growth of tissue, unresponsive to normal stimuli and regulatory signal. This can refer to benign or malignant tumors.
To ease without curing. The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life and comfort without the goal of curing the cancer.
An imaging technology that uses a radioactive agent to observe a physiologic or pathologic property in the body. Often combined with a CT scan, this modality can sensitively identify spread of cancer. At the University of Missouri, imaging agents can be used to evaluate characteristics of tumors including metabolism and oxygen levels within the tumor.
A doctor that has specialized in the treatment of cancer using radiation.
This is the exposure of tissues to a radioactive source for the purpose of therapy. Brachytherapy implies radiation delivered over a short distance, usually given as implantable beads or as a radionuclide that is injected and seeks a specific target in the body. Teletherapy describes radiation given from a distance using a machine under which the patient is positioned. The two main types of teletherapy are orthovoltage (high energy X-rays) and megavoltage (from a cobalt radioactive source or from a linear accelerator). Megavoltage is most commonly used in both veterinary and human medicine. The University of Missouri has a linear accelerator available for treatment of cancer in animals.
Commonly called X-rays, these are the pictures that are produced using X-ray beams passing through the body.
This phrase is used to describe the treatment that is most commonly used for a certain cancer by most veterinary oncologists in practice. Standard of care may be determined by past clinical trials or may be the result of opinions formed when treating animals over time. In the absence of good quality, controlled clinical trials, or in the event that properly designed trials have not found a treatment that benefits the patient, there may not be a standard of care established by the veterinary oncology community for a given cancer.
An abnormal benign or malignant mass of tissue that is not inflammatory.
The process of using sound waves to obtain two-dimensional images for examination and measurement of internal body structures and the detection of bodily abnormalities.
A urine test that evaluates the concentration of the urine and any abnormalities present (such as a urinary tract infection).