Patient guide · Glossary
50 words you may hear during cancer care, each explained in plain language. Ask your doctor whenever a word is unclear — there is no wrong question.
A
- Adjuvant treatmentTreatment after surgeryसर्जरी के बाद का उपचार
- Treatment given after surgery, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, to lower the chance of the disease returning. Whether it is needed depends on your case.
- AnastomosisJoiningएनास्टोमोसिस (आँत या नली को जोड़ना)
- A join made by the surgeon between two parts of a tube, such as the bowel or food pipe, after a diseased part has been removed.
B
- Biopsyबायोप्सी
- A small sample of tissue taken from a lump or growth and examined under a microscope to find out what it is.
- Breast-conserving surgeryLumpectomyस्तन बचाने वाली सर्जरी (लम्पेक्टोमी)
- An operation that removes the cancer and a small area of tissue around it while keeping the rest of the breast.
C
- ChemotherapyChemoकीमोथेरेपी
- Treatment with medicines that act on cancer cells. It may be given by drip, injection or tablet, and may be given before or after surgery.
- Colectomyकोलेक्टोमी (बड़ी आँत निकालना)
- An operation to remove part or all of the large bowel (colon).
- Colonoscopyकोलोनोस्कोपी
- A test in which a thin, flexible tube with a camera is passed through the back passage to look inside the large bowel.
- CRS (cytoreductive surgery)सीआरएस (साइटोरिडक्टिव सर्जरी)
- Surgery that aims to remove the visible cancer deposits from the lining of the abdomen and nearby organs. It is a long and careful operation planned by a team.
- CT scanComputed tomographyसीटी स्कैन
- A scan that uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed pictures of the inside of the body, slice by slice.
- Cystoscopyसिस्टोस्कोपी (मूत्राशय की दूरबीन जाँच)
- A test in which a thin tube with a camera is passed through the urinary passage to look inside the bladder.
D
- Drainड्रेन (नली)
- A thin tube placed during surgery to let fluid or blood escape from the operated area. It is removed when no longer needed.
E
- Endoscopyएंडोस्कोपी (दूरबीन जाँच)
- A test in which a thin tube with a camera is passed through the mouth to look at the food pipe, stomach and the first part of the intestine.
- ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery)इरास (जल्दी स्वस्थ होने की प्रक्रिया)
- A set of simple steps before, during and after an operation, such as early eating, early walking and good pain control, that help recovery. Your team will tell you which apply to you.
- Excisionएक्सिजन (गाँठ काटकर निकालना)
- Cutting out a lump or an area of tissue.
F
- FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology)एफएनएसी (सुई से जाँच)
- A test in which a thin needle takes a few cells from a lump, which are then looked at under a microscope.
- Follow-upफ़ॉलो-अप (आगे की जाँच-मुलाक़ात)
- Regular visits and tests after treatment, so that the doctor can watch your recovery and look for any problem early.
G
- Gastrectomyगैस्ट्रेक्टोमी (आमाशय निकालना)
- An operation to remove part or all of the stomach.
- Gradeग्रेड
- A description of how the cancer cells look under the microscope and how different they are from normal cells. It is found on the biopsy or surgery report.
H
- Hepatectomyहेपेटेक्टोमी (लीवर का हिस्सा निकालना)
- An operation to remove part of the liver.
- HIPECHyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapyहाइपेक (HIPEC)
- Warmed chemotherapy liquid that is circulated inside the abdomen for a short time during surgery, after the visible disease has been removed. It is used only in selected cases.
- HistopathologyHistopathology reportहिस्टोपैथोलॉजी रिपोर्ट
- Examination of removed tissue under a microscope by a pathologist, a doctor who studies tissue. The report gives the final diagnosis and details of the disease.
I
- IHC (immunohistochemistry)आईएचसी (इम्यूनोहिस्टोकेमिस्ट्री)
- A special laboratory test on tissue that uses stains to find out more about the type of cancer. It can help choose treatment.
L
- Lymph nodeLymph glandलिम्फ नोड (लसीका ग्रंथि)
- A small bean-shaped gland that is part of the body’s defence system. Cancer cells can sometimes travel to nearby lymph nodes, so they may be checked or removed.
M
- Marginमार्जिन (किनारा)
- The edge of the tissue that has been removed. The pathologist checks whether cancer cells reach this edge, which helps decide if more treatment is needed.
- Mastectomyमास्टेक्टोमी (स्तन निकालना)
- An operation to remove the breast.
- MetastasisSpreadमेटास्टेसिस (कैंसर का फैलना)
- Spread of cancer from where it started to another part of the body.
- Minimally invasive surgeryKeyhole surgeryमिनिमली इनवेसिव (कम चीरे वाली) सर्जरी
- Surgery done through a few small cuts using a camera and long thin instruments, instead of one large cut. It is not suitable for every person or every cancer.
- MRIMagnetic resonance imagingएमआरआई
- A scan that uses a strong magnet and radio waves, not X-rays, to make detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
- Multidisciplinary teamMDTविभिन्न विशेषज्ञों की टीम
- A group of specialists, such as surgeons, physicians, radiologists, pathologists and radiotherapists, who discuss a patient’s case together and agree a plan.
N
- Neck dissectionनेक डिसेक्शन (गर्दन की ग्रंथियाँ निकालना)
- An operation to remove lymph nodes and nearby tissue from the neck, often done when a cancer of the head and neck may have spread to the nodes.
- Neoadjuvant treatmentTreatment before surgeryसर्जरी से पहले का उपचार
- Treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, given before surgery, usually to shrink the disease or improve the chance of a complete operation. It is used only in selected cases.
O
- Oesophagectomyईसोफ़ेजेक्टोमी (भोजन नली निकालना)
- An operation to remove part or all of the food pipe (oesophagus).
- Open surgeryखुली सर्जरी (ओपन सर्जरी)
- Surgery done through a single, larger cut so that the surgeon can see and reach the area directly.
P
- Palliative careपैलिएटिव केयर (आराम देने वाली देखभाल)
- Care that aims to ease pain and other symptoms and to support the patient and family. It can be given alongside other treatment, at any stage.
- Peritoneumपेरिटोनियम (पेट की अंदरूनी झिल्ली)
- The thin lining of the inside of the abdomen that also covers the organs within it.
- PET-CTपेट-सीटी
- A scan that combines a CT scan with a special injection that shows areas of high activity in the body. It helps to see where disease may be present.
R
- RadiotherapyRadiation therapyरेडियोथेरेपी (सिकाई)
- Treatment that uses carefully aimed high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells.
- Recurrenceदोबारा होना (रिकरेंस)
- Return of the cancer after treatment, in the same place or elsewhere.
- Remissionरिमिशन (बीमारी का दबना)
- A time when tests show no sign of the disease, or the disease is much reduced. Your doctor will explain what the word means for you.
- Resectionरिसेक्शन (हिस्सा निकालना)
- An operation to remove part of an organ or a growth, including the nearby tissue that may be affected.
- Retroperitoneumरेट्रोपेरिटोनियम
- The space at the back of the abdomen, behind the lining, that holds organs such as the kidneys and the large blood vessels.
- Robotic surgeryरोबोटिक सर्जरी
- A form of keyhole surgery in which the surgeon controls fine instruments through a console. The surgeon remains in charge throughout. It suits some patients and some operations.
S
- Sarcomaसार्कोमा
- A cancer that starts in the supporting tissues of the body, such as muscle, fat, bone or connective tissue.
- Sentinel node biopsyसेंटिनल नोड बायोप्सी
- A test in which the first lymph node or nodes that drain an area are found and removed to see whether cancer has reached them.
- StagingStageस्टेज / स्टेजिंग
- A way of describing how big a cancer is and how far it has spread. It helps in choosing treatment.
- Stomaस्टोमा
- An opening made on the belly during surgery so that stool or urine can pass into a bag. It may be temporary or long term.
T
- Thyroidectomyथायरॉइडेक्टोमी (थायरॉइड निकालना)
- An operation to remove part or all of the thyroid gland in the neck.
- Tumour boardट्यूमर बोर्ड
- A regular meeting in which specialists review patients’ reports and scans and agree on a recommended plan for each. It is one form of multidisciplinary discussion.
U
- UltrasoundSonographyअल्ट्रासाउंड (सोनोग्राफ़ी)
- A scan that uses sound waves to make pictures of the inside of the body. It does not use radiation.
W
- Whipple operationPancreaticoduodenectomyव्हिपल ऑपरेशन
- A major operation that removes the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder, part of the bile duct and, in some patients, part of the stomach, and then joins the remaining parts. It is done for some growths in this area.
Next step
No question is
too small.
If a word in your own reports is not here, write it down and ask at the consultation.