Medical Terms – Glossary

Grade: How aggressive a cancer is can be predicted by its grade. To grade cancer, a pathologist examines a biopsied tumor under a high power microscope and notes special characteristics of the cancer cells, which can indicate how aggressively they may behave in future. Sometimes, veterinarians and oncologists use words such as “angry” or “hot,”…

Homeopathy: An alternative medical practice started in Germany in the late eighteenth century, homeopathy uses extremely diluted substances to stimulate symptoms similar to what the patient is already experiencing, according to the principle of “like cures like.” For example, if the patient is coughing, a remedy might be given that would cause coughing in a…

In Vitro: Means “in glass” and often refers to a treatment that is tested in a test tube, a petri dish, or in other equipment in a lab. Many promising cancer therapies work very well in vitro, but not in vivo.

Inflammation: This refers to a protective response of body tissues to injury or irritation. There are many factors involved in creating inflammation; the main characteristics are pain, warmth, swelling and redness. But if inflammation becomes chronic or excessive, it can become problematic; arthritis, asthma, allergies, and other diseases are associated with inflammation. Inflammation is also…

Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system is a type of circulatory system that runs throughout the body. A vast network of tubes that are connected to body organs and tissues, the lymphatics carry a clear fluid called lymph. The lymph carries white blood cells, making it a crucial component of the immune system. A map of…

Malignant: A tumor, which is dangerous and growing uncontrollably, is called malignant. This word is a synonym for cancerous. Another word used to refer to a malignant tumor or a cancer is malignancy.

Margin: This refers to the area of normal-seeming tissue surrounding a tumor that has been removed during a biopsy or other surgery. This area may contain microscopic cancer cells, so, a pathologist examines it during a comprehensive margin evaluation. If the margins are narrow (one or two millimeters), malignant tumors are more likely to recur.…

Maximum Tolerated Dose: In conventional treatment, this phrase is used to describe the highest dose of chemotherapy that can be given without the patient’s having unacceptable, severe side effects or dying from the treatment. The higher the chemotherapy dose is the more cancer cells are killed; therefore, the aim of chemotherapy is to give as…

Measurable Disease: This refers to a tumor that can be measured for size with calipers or imaging techniques; also called macroscopic disease. You can see these tumors with the eye, unlike microscopic tumors, which are too small to see without magnification.

Metronomic Chemotherapy: A relatively new approach to chemotherapy, which doesn’t attempt to kill cancer cells directly (like maximum tolerated dose does), but instead attempts to cut them off from their supply of oxygen and nutrition. Low doses of drugs are given on a regular basis to target the lining of the blood vessels feeding the…

Natural: This indicates not synthetic: originating from a source found in nature. While many guardians have a bias towards using natural substances in cancer treatments, it is important to remember that not all natural substances are safe. There are naturally occurring deadly poisons in mushrooms, a form of cyanide in peach pits, and toxins in…

Non-resectable: This word refers to a tumor that cannot be removed with surgery. Non-resectable tumors, also called inoperable tumors, must be treated with other methods.

Normal Life Expectancy: The general expectation for a given dog’s natural lifespan, this number is based on the breed and/or weight of the dog. In general, small dogs live longer than big dogs. Taking exceptions into account, knowing your dog’s general life expectancy can be helpful when making treatment plans.

Oncologist: A veterinary oncologist is a veterinarian who has completed additional specialized training in conventional oncology. A general medicine and surgery internship is required, plus a residency in their chosen focus: chemotherapy (oncologist), surgery (surgical oncologist), or radiation (radiation oncologist). Once the internship and residency are complete – which can take three to five years…

Oncology: Oncology literally means “the study of cancer.” This word is commonly used to describe the conventional veterinary approach to cancer care. Three primary treatment tools are used: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Other possible tools include some nutritional support and more recently, genetic therapy and immunotherapy. While oncology has some success with certain kinds of…

Primary Health Advocate: In Full Spectrum cancer care, I urge every guardian to take this leadership role (discussed on page 254 of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide). I do this because we do not yet have a cure for systemic cancer, and vets and oncologists are usually unable to provide a treatment recommendation that will…

Initiation: According to the genetic mutation theory of cancer, initiation is the first stage of cancer development. In this stage, a cell’s DNA is damaged beyond repair, often including the DNA involved with apoptosis (natural cell death).

Pain: During cancer and/or cancer treatments, pain can have several sources, including tumors pressing on organs or tissues such as bones and nerves, tissues stretched beyond their normal lengths, blocking of circulation, inflammation resulting from cancers, and surgical incision healing. A dog in pain may isolate himself, seem apathetic, or limit his movement. Some dogs…

Touch Therapies: Touch therapies include massage, Reiki, T-Touch, and other energy healing modalities that involve hands-on, physical contact with the patient. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City has integrated several touch therapies into their standard menu of cancer treatments because their research shows that touch therapies may help with outcomes like pain reduction,…

Immune System: The body’s defense against external microbes and viruses, and also the body’s “cleanup crew” for deranged and mutated cells. Incredibly complex, it can be strengthened or weakened by nutrition, emotional states, sleep (or lack of it) and stress. A strong immune system deploys cancer-fighting cells to destroy cancer, but if cancer overwhelms the…

Progression: The final stage in cancer development (after promotion), when cancer cells have multiplied to become full-fledged cancers and can now divide uncontrollably, invade normal tissues, and may metastasize.

Promotion: This is the second stage in cancer development (after initiation and before progression). If the immune system is unable to dispose of damaged cells, and if apoptosis genes fail to induce cell suicide, damaged cells persist. They also begin to grow and replicate, forming tumors or cancers.

Pyschoimmunoneurology: This field of study examines the complex connections between mental function (stress, depression, anger, happiness) and body function and disease. It brings together the fields of endocrinology, psychology, immunology and physiology to elucidate how the body interacts with itself and its environment. In short, this is the scientific study of a facet of the…

Rescue Protocol: If a dog has gone into remission, but then has a relapse, another course of treatment may induce a second remission. That second treatment is called a rescue protocol.

Residual Disease: This phrase is used to describe cancer cells that remain after attempts to remove them have been made.

Micrometastasis: This is the spread of very small numbers of cancer cells to distant sites through the circulatory system. Micrometastasis is usually undetectable (or undetectable with our current diagnostic tools), due to the small numbers of cells that have spread when the diagnostic tool is applied.

MRI: MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, which is an imaging technique that uses powerful magnets to generate electromagnetic fields. These fields pick up information in the body and broadcast it to a radio antenna. The resulting image is a series of “slices” much like what is seen in a CT scan, with much more…

Staging: Staging is the evaluation of a cancer to determine how far it has spread or metastasized. Diagnostic tests used to stage cancer may include lymph node aspirates, lymph node biopsies, chest X-rays, abdominal ultrasounds, CT or MRI scans, and occasionally bone marrow or internal organ aspirates and/or biopsies. Generally, the lower the stage number…

Supplement Hierarchy: Many supplements are discussed in this book, and some guardians ask which are most important. For this reason, I created a hierarchy that lists supplements in their order of importance. Starting with the supplements at the top of the hierarchy and adding others as time, budget, and the dog’s preference or tolerance will…

Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy is a conventional medical treatment that sends high-energy particles, usually photons or electrons, into tumors. These particles interact with the atoms in the DNA of the cancer cells and destroy them. This, in turn, destroys the cancer cells. Radiation also kills cells by increasing the amount of harmful free radicals within…