Cancer Jargon 101
A Crash Course in Cancer Treatment Language
Not many people are fluent in Medical Terminology despite how much Grey’s Anatomy or House they watch (which shows doctors mainly doing nursing tasks but I digress). Even my husband and I, seasoned Pediatric Oncology nurses, had to stop and ask for clarification on what certain things meant as our daughter’s oncologist explained her cancer diagnosis and plan of treatment. There are a lot of words thrown about and although it may not affect day-to-day life, there are some words that get thrown around a lot. Some of it is actual medical terminology and some may be medical slang. This is important to know so you can be aware of what medical staff are saying around you without any misunderstandings. One example that always comes to mind was an incident when I still worked in the hospital. We were told to call our computers in the room WOWs( Workstation On Wheels) from now on because a parent got upset when she thought the nurse giving report called her a “cow” when actually the nurse was talking about the computer (COW-Computer On Wheels). Another example was when a parent became increasingly concerned because they couldn’t find a line on her child’s access device that apparently was there when the nurses changed shifts. The parent was referring to the nurses calling the child’s access device a “line” and touching the tubing. It took getting the surgeon that placed the access device to come to the room and an expired one the child life team used for child education to get the parent to understand that there was no line on the access device tubing.
So below I have compiled a list of medical terminology you may hear, the medical slang for it, and what it actually is. They are broken down into categories to make it easier for readers. Think of it as the Urban dictionary of medicine. This is not a complete list and your child may not have some of this depending on their specific cancer.
Cancer Treatment Plan
Roadmap- This is the medical slang for the official cancer treatment guideline for your child’s specific cancer. The name on the treatment plan is usually the original name for the clinical study that was done often decades ago. So everyone refers to it as a roadmap or treatment plan because it is easier. The roadmap dictates the chemotherapy that will be given, how much, and on what days of each cycle. It also includes other medications that will be given, when labs are done, and any other testing is done. Each roadmap is broken down to how long the cycle will be. Some can be as short as 21 days or as long as 48 days. So you may hear: “The pharmacy needs a copy of the roadmap.”
Cycle- This term is linked to the roadmap. We often talk about it as in how many cycles of each phase of treatment. For example, my daughter had 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy and 3 cycles of stem cell rescue via BMT.
Induction therapy- This is the beginning of chemotherapy. The aim is to eliminate the cancer cells from the body. Depending on the type of cancer, the goal is to be in remission after this phase. Even if remission is achieved, your child will still receive more chemotherapy to maintain this status.
Consolidation therapy- This step may follow induction therapy. Its aim is to further eliminate cancer cells.
Maintenance therapy- This is the longest step usually lasting a few years. The aim is to maintain remission status (usually leukemias) or prevent further growth (usually tumors) again depending on the cancer.
IT chemotherapy- IT is short for intrathecal which is referring to the fact that something is being given into the spinal fluid. For anyone that has had an epidural, it’s the same procedure. The only difference is that chemotherapy medication is being given. This is done when your child is getting a lumbar puncture but after the oncologist gets a sample of the spinal fluid to send to the lab. So you may hear: “The LP and IT chemo will be next Thursday.”
Access Devices- how someone is getting fluids, medications, or chemotherapy into them and blood for labs out.
Line- Slang for an access device. the most common access devices are below. So you may hear: “What kind of line does he/she have?”
PIV- Short for peripherally inserted catheter. Often referred to as an IV as well. Usually in the bend of the elbow or back of the hand. It is less often used to give chemotherapy through because it has to be put in right before the medication is given and the nurse has to be able to check that blood can be pulled out of it before and after. If done frequently, the veins get tired of being poked and it becomes harder and harder to get a good one.
PICC- Short for peripherally inserted central catheter. Usually put in at the bedside instead of OR and put in the upper arm. They tend to give nurses a hard time the longer they are used.
CVC- Short for central venous catheter. AKA Broviac or Hickman. These are placed in the OR by a surgeon. They are usually on the right chest. These are usually the first option placed for long-term therapy because they can tolerate high-pressure infusions.
Port-A-Cath- AKA port. These are placed in the OR by a surgeon as well. The difference between a Port and a CVC is a Port has to be accessed, meaning a nurse will need to insert a needle through the access point of the port in order to give medicine or fluids through it or to draw labs from it. The good thing about this is when the Port is not in use, it does not need to be accessed. So your child will not have anything sticking out of his or her chest. Your child can shower, bathe, or swim without having to worry about the line or dressing getting wet. Also, since there is nothing sticking out, there is no risk of the line getting accidentally pulled out. Port-A-Caths are usually placed during maintenance therapy.
Feeding Support- how a child gets nutrition when the normal way won’t work (extreme nausea, vomiting)
Nasal Gastric Tube- AKA NG. It is a flexible tube that is placed in the nose down to the stomach. A special pump is used to give a child formula so they can still have proper nutrition during treatment. Medications can also be given through it.
Gastric Tube- AKA G-tube. Placed by a surgeon, this tube is placed through the abdomen into the stomach. For children, they are low profile meaning when it’s not used for feedings or medication, the extension can be removed and children can go about their routine. There is less risk for pulling it out because it can be hidden under clothes.
TPN- Short for total parenteral nutrition. This is given through a child’s access device because of all the vitamins and electrolytes it is irritating to the veins when given through a PIV. If a child can’t keep anything down, doctors will order this so they can still get nutrients until they feel well enough to eat again as normal.
PPN- Short for peripheral parenteral nutrition. The same as above but with fewer nutrients so it can be given through a PIV. Usually the last resort if a better line is unavailable such as being treated for a line infection.
Lipids- This is basically liquid fat that can be given through a line that is not a PIV. Our body needs fat to be able to absorb some vitamins. So this is usually given with TPN.
Tests and Imaging:
LP- Short for lumbar puncture. Again think epidural for those of you that know what that is. The oncologist will collect spinal fluid to test for free-flowing cancer cells, infection, and other things. This is usually done at the beginning of each cycle.
MRI- Short for magnetic resonance imaging. This test is used to take really detailed pictures of the body. I like to describe it as when you get your meat sliced at the deli part of the market. Your oncologist picks the meat and the radiologist picks how thin or thick to make the slices. The machine is so detailed they can actually take these picture “slices” both up to down and side to side.
CT- Short for computed tomography. This is basically taking multiple x-rays of an area and a computer makes it 3D. It is a very quick and easy way to see structures however less detailed than an MRI.
GFR scan- This means renal glomerular filtration rate scan. This is a study done in nuclear medicine where a radioactive tracer is injected and they see how long it takes for the kidneys to excrete it. So basically they’re checking to make sure your child’s kidneys are functioning properly after all the chemotherapy. It can be done two ways and depends on your medical center. Some will have your child sit in the imaging machine for about an hour after the tracer is injected and the machine estimates how much of the medication is excreted. Other medical centers will do imaging for a few minutes after the tracer is given then have your child’s blood collected a couple of times over the course of 4 hours to see how much is left.
ABR- Short for auditory brainstem response and checks for hearing loss from chemotherapy. This specific test is usually done for small children that can’t participate in a normal hearing test. Your child is sedated and the audiologist (hearing doctor) hooks up a bunch of wires to your child’s head and a pair of earphones. They play tones and check for brain stimulation in response to the sound. It’s a more detailed version of the hearing test done on newborns.
Clean- refers to negative results or nothing be found on labs (ex. blood cultures) or imaging studies.
Miscellaneous
Flush- This is slang for flushing the IV tubing or access device with NS to make sure all the medication gets into your child or to clear the access device of whatever was done like after a blood draw. It also refers to the syringe filled with NS that will be used to do the flushing. So you may hear: “ Oh, let me grab a flush for that.”
NS- This is short for normal saline. In the most basic of definitions, it is a salt solution that matches our blood without disrupting anything. We use it for IV fluids, boluses, and is in syringes to flush the tubing of medications.
If there is any other medical terminology or medical slang you want help figuring out, leave a comment below.
