Glossary Terms

Treatment that combines chemotherapy with radiation therapy. Also called chemoradiotherapy.

Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.

A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Also called clinical study.

Any substance, other than food, that is used to prevent, diagnose, treat or relieve symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition. Also refers to a substance that alters mood or body function, or that can be habit-forming or addictive, especially a narcotic.

An operation to remove all or part of the stomach.

Cancer that forms in tissues lining the stomach. Also called stomach cancer.

Treatment that uses intense, narrow beams of light to cut and destroy tissue, such as cancer tissue. Laser therapy may also be used to reduce lymphedema (swelling caused by a buildup of lymph fluid in tissue) after breast cancer surgery.

A type of protein made in the laboratory that can bind to substances in the body, including tumor cells. There are many kinds of monoclonal antibodies. Each monoclonal antibody is made to find one substance. Monoclonal antibodies are being used to treat some types of cancer and are being studied in the treatment of other types. They can be used alone or to carry drugs, toxins, or radioactive materials directly to a tumor.

Treatment given to relieve the symptoms and reduce the suffering caused by cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Palliative cancer therapies are given together with other cancer treatments, from the time of diagnosis, through treatment, survivorship, recurrent or advanced disease, and at the end of life.

The overall enjoyment of life. Many clinical trials assess the effects of cancer and its treatment on the quality of life. These studies measure aspects of an individual’s sense of well-being and ability to carry out various activities.

The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body. Also called irradiation and radiotherapy.

Cancer that has recurred (come back), usually after a period of time during which the cancer could not be detected. The cancer may come back to the same place as the original (primary) tumor or to another place in the body. Also called recurrence.

The extent of a cancer in the body. Staging is usually based on the size of the tumor, whether lymph nodes contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.

Abnormal cells are found in the inside lining of the mucosa (innermost layer) of the stomach wall. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue.

Cancer has formed in the inside lining of the mucosa (innermost layer) of the stomach wall. Stage I is divided into stages IA and IB, depending on where the cancer has spread. In stage IA, cancer may have spread into the submucosa (layer of tissue next to the mucosa) of the stomach wall. In stage IB, cancer (1) may have spread into the submucosa (layer of tissue next to the mucosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 1 or 2 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (2) has spread to the muscle layer of the stomach wall.

Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB, depending on where the cancer has spread. In stage IIA, cancer (1) has spread to the subserosa (layer of tissue next to the serosa) of the stomach wall; or (2) has spread to the muscle layer of the stomach wall and is found in 1 or 2 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (3) may have spread to the submucosa (layer of tissue next to the mucosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 3 to 6 lymph nodes near the tumor. In stage IIB, cancer (1) has spread to the serosa (outermost layer) of the stomach wall; or (2) has spread to the subserosa (layer of tissue next to the serosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 1 or 2 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (3) has spread to the muscle layer of the stomach wall and is found in 3 to 6 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (4) may have spread to the submucosa (layer of tissue next to the mucosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 7 or more lymph nodes near the tumor.

Stage III is divided into stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC, depending on where the cancer has spread. In stage IIIA, cancer has spread to (1) the serosa (outermost) layer of the stomach wall and is found in 1 or 2 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (2) the subserosa (layer of tissue next to the serosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 3 to 6 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (3) the muscle layer of the stomach wall and is found in 7 or more lymph nodes near the tumor. In stage IIIB, cancer has spread to (1) nearby organs such as the spleen, transverse colon, liver, diaphragm, pancreas, kidney, adrenal gland, or small intestine, and may be found in 1 or 2 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (2) the serosa (outermost layer) of the stomach wall and is found in 3 to 6 lymph nodes near the tumor; or (3) the subserosa (layer of tissue next to the serosa) of the stomach wall and is found in 7 or more lymph nodes near the tumor. In stage IIIC, cancer has spread to (1) nearby organs such as the spleen, transverse colon, liver, diaphragm, pancreas, kidney, adrenal gland, or small intestine, and may be found in 3 or more lymph nodes near the tumor; or (2) the serosa (outermost layer) of the stomach wall and is found in 7 or more lymph nodes near the tumor.

Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.

A device placed in a body structure (such as a blood vessel or the gastrointestinal tract) to keep the structure open.

An organ that is part of the digestive system. The stomach helps digest food by mixing it with digestive juices and churning it into a thin liquid.

A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present. An operation.

An indication that a person has a condition or disease. Some examples of symptoms are headache, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain.

A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances, such as monoclonal antibodies, to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatments.

An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. Tumors may be benign (not cancer), or malignant (cancer). Also called neoplasm.

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