Glossary
Adjuvant Therapy: Treatment given after the primary treatment to increase the chances of a cure. This may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy.Anaplastic: A term used to describe cancer cells that divide rapidly and bear little or no resemblance to normal cells.
Chemotherapy: Treatment with anticancer drugs.
Computer Tomography (CT) scan: This is an X- ray procedure enhanced by computer. The results are three dimensioned scan through a body part showing bone and body tissue.
Lymph node: Round, oval or bean-shaped aggregation of infection- and cancer-fighting immune cells located along the lymph channels throughout the body.
Mutations: Any change in the DNA of a cell. Mutations may be caused by mistakes during cell division, or they may be caused by exposure to DNA-damaging agents in the environment. Mutations can be harmful, beneficial, or have no effect.
Nephrectomy: Surgery to remove a kidney. Radical nephrectomy removes the kidney, the adrenal gland, nearby lymph nodes, and other surrounding tissue. Simple nephrectomy removes only the kidney. Partial nephrectomy removes the tumor but not the entire kidney.
Nephroblastoma: A fast-growing cancer of the kidneys that occurs most commonly in children under 4 years of age.
Pediatrician: A doctor who treats children.
Retroperitoneal: Having to do with the area outside or behind the peritoneum (the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen).
Trisomy: A condition which arises due to the presence of an extra chromosome. An example is Down syndrome, where the individual has an extra chromosome 21
Tumor suppressor gene: Genes in the body that can suppress or block the development of cancer.
