GENERAL GLOSSARY

Avastin (Bevacizumab)

  • A form of immunotherapy that is used to treat ovarian cancer.
  • Immunotherapies work by helping the person’s immune system attack the ovarian cancer cells.
  • Avastin is an injectable drug

Bowel obstruction

  • A gastrointestinal condition in which digested material is prevented from passing normally through the bowel. This is the most common complication of patients with ovarian cancer.

Bowel resection

  • The removal of part of the cancerous bowel to reduce the chance of recurrence or cancer development.

BRCA 1 & 2

  • BRCA stands for Breast Cancer susceptibility gene.

  • The two genes are BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.

  • Normally these genes prevent a person from developing cancer. However, sometimes a pathogenic variant in one of these genes can occur which make a person at higher risk to develop breast and ovarian cancer.

CA 125

  • A biomarker expressed by ovarian cancer that can be detected via blood tests.
  • A test to measure the amount of CA 125 protein in the blood.
  • CA 125 stands for Cancer Antigen 125 and is a protein made in certain cancers.
  • The test can be used for early detection of ovarian cancer in high risk individuals but can still miss the disease since there is no accurate test.

Caregiver

  • Anyone who provides physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, or logistical support to a loved one with a chronic, disabling, or life threatening illness.
  • Often times the caregiver is a family member or friend.

Chemotherapy

Debulking

  • The surgical removal of the largest part, or ‘bulk’, of a malignant tumor so that what is left can be more easily treated by other means.
  • Debulking in ovarian cancer is advised when the cancer has spread throughout the abdomen.
  • This surgery does not remove all cancerous cells and may affect other organs, or small parts of other organs may need to be removed.
  • Most women stay in the hospital for 3-7 days after the operation.

Endometriosis

  • Endometriosis is an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining the pelvis and other organs.

Epidural

  • Epidural is an anesthesia that blocks pain in a particular region of the body. This can be used for ovarian surgeries.

Genetic Condition

  • A disease or set of symptoms that run in families.

HIPEC

  • Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a highly concentrated, heated chemotherapy drug that is delivered directly to the abdomen during surgery and which circulates throughout the body.

  • During the treatment, the patient’s chest cavity temperature raises to between 105-107.6° F.

  • This treatments is used to treat tumors too advanced for surgical removal but remain confined to a single organ or region of the body.

Hospice

  • A home providing care for the sick, especially for the terminally ill.

  • Hospice can included services provided to sick individuals in their own home.

HPV

  • HPV, or the Human Papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection.

  • Infection causes warts in various parts of the body depending on the strain of the virus and the site of infection.

  • HPV can be prevented with a vaccination, but some types can lead to cervical cancer.

Immunotherapy

  • Immunotherapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing a person’s immune system.

  • In regards to ovarian cancer, the body’s immune system is activated to target the cancer cells in ovaries.

Infusion

  • A method of receiving an ovarian cancer treatment – either immunotherapy or chemotherapy – that involves an IV.

Laparotomy

  • A surgical incision into the abdominal cavity, for ovarian cancer diagnosis or preparation for ovarian surgery.

Leak (after surgery)

  • After the removal of cancerous cells from the intestines, which can be done to prevent ovarian cancer recurrence, there can be leakage after surgery.

  • The risk is 1%-26% and can be life threatening.

  • Possible symptoms include:

    • Rapid heart rate,

    • Fever,

    • Stomach pain,

    • Nausea,

    • Vomiting,

    • Decreased urine output, and

    • Low blood pressure.

Lymphadenectomy

  • The removal of lymph nodes to prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

Lynch Syndrome

  • A genetic condition that can lead to a high risk of multiple cancers, including ovarian, colorectal, endometrial, stomach, small bowel, liver, urinary tract, brain and skin cancer.

Menopause

  • The period in a woman’s life (usually between 45 and 50 years old) when menstruation ceases. 

  • It is diagnosed after you have gone 12 months without a menstrual period.

  • Surgical Menopause: occurs when a woman’s ovaries are removed surgically, before  going through menopause. Removing the ovaries, the primary source of estrogen in the body, triggers immediate menopause, regardless of the patient’s age.
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Metastases

  • Metastasis is the term for cancer when it spreads to a different part of the body.

  • This usually occurs when the tumor breaks apart and travels through the bloodstream.

  • For example, someone with ovarian cancer may develop liver cancer as well.

Neuropathy

  • Neuropathy is a side effect of radiation or chemotherapy.

  • It is a nerve disorder that can cause weakness, numbness, tingling and pain.

  • Symptoms usually persist, but may lessen.

  • There are treatments available to help manage symptoms.

Palliative Care

  • Specialized medical care given to the terminally ill to keep them comfortable.

Pap smear

PARP inhibitor

  • PARP is a targeted cancer therapy that inhibits the PARP protein in ovarian cancer cells.

  • By inhibiting PARP within ovarian cancer cells, it is very hard for tumor cells to survive.

Pathogenic Variant (formerly mutation)

  • A pathogenic variant is a mistake or a change in a person’s DNA.

  • For instance, in ovarian cancer, some people inherit the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 pathogenic variant.

PCOS

  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a very common condition that affects your hormones. It causes irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and infertility. 

Peritoneal Cancer

  • The peritoneal cavity is the lining of the abdomen, in rare cases these cells can become cancerous.

  • When these cells metastasize, they can cause ovarian cancer.

Port

  • A device that creates an access point in the chest, pelvis or arm in which blood can be sampled or drugs delivered.

Radiation

Recurrence

  • In the case of ovarian cancer, recurrence is when the cancer cells have returned.

Survivor

  • A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type, including ovarian cancer, who is still living.
  • TEAL’s definition of an Ovarian Cancer Survivor: an “Amazing Lady” who at any time in her life has been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer whether she is currently a patient in treatment or cancer free. It could have been yesterday or 50 years ago.

Tap blocks

  • Ultrasound-guided surgery that is used to remove ovaries or ovarian tumors.

Taxol

  • An anti-cancer chemotherapy drug used to treat ovarian cancer.

T-Cells

  • T-cells are immune cells, often called white blood cells, which will attack ovarian cancer cells in the body.

Types of ovarian cancer

  • An epithelial tumor, occurring in 90% of ovarian tumors, involve a thin layer of tissue that surrounds the ovaries.
  • A germ cell tumor, which occurs in 5% of ovarian tumors, are tumors of the internal eggs.
  • A stromal carcinoma tumor, which occurs in 5% of ovarian tumors, are tumors of the external eggs.
  • Small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCO), which occurs in 0.1% of ovarian cancers, can affect multiple organ systems.
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