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Patient Centers - Rectal cancer terms Category: Health and Medicine > Colon and Rectal Cancer Date & country: 27/09/2013, USA Words: 128

J-pouch or ileoanal pouch
Made by folding back on itself the end of the small intestine that remains after the entire colon has been removed. The two parallel folded pieces are stitched together, creating a reservoir that is twice the size of the original, unfolded tissue. A bottom opening in the J-pouch is surgically reconnected to the anus. The intention is to simulate the larger retention capacity of the colon and to preserve fecal continence.

Total response
Describes a tumor's response to treatment. The tumor has either completely disappeared, or is so small and stable it may just be scar tissue.

Transverse colon
The portion of horizontal colon between the ascending and descending colon. The transverse colon crosses the abdomen beneath the liver from the patient's right to the patient's left.

Tumor lysis syndrome
Arises from the death of certain large tumors, and may arise shortly after chemotherapy is started. It is characterized by symptoms of kidney failure owing to excessive amounts of calcium, phosphate, and potassium being released by dying tumors.

Verification
when a party to a suit swears that the contents of a document are true and correct – usually sworn to in the presence of a notary public.

Synchronous (SINK run us)
Tumors that appear at the same time. See Metachronous.

Thrombocyte (THROM bow site)
A blood cell commonly called a platelet.

Tolerable
A word often used by medical staff to describe the side effects of treatment. Your idea of what is tolerable may be much lower than their definition, because medicine defines a tolerable side effect as one that can be ameliorated with supportive care and that does not result in permanent organ damage. For you, these side effects may be intolerable.

Subserosa (sub seer OH suh)
The outermost layer of the colon in areas where the bowel is not freely moving (labile). In areas where the bowel is labile, the serosa is the outermost layer of the colon.

Summons
A document issued by the Clerk of Court to be served on the defendant to notify the defendant that he/she has a civil action filed against him/her and must file an answer within thirty days.

Stable disease
One or more tumors, still visible on imaging, that are not growing.

Stoma (STOW muh)
Greek for mouth. When the context is colorectal surgery, stoma means an opening created in the wall of the abdomen through which a piece of the intestine passes in order to void fecal material.

Statutes
another term for the laws that govern a state or nation. These laws are written down and promulgated by the legislative branch of the government.

Submucosa (sub myew KOW suh)
Supportive tissue beneath the inner mucosal layer of the large intestine. Going outward, the layers of the bowel are mucosa, submucosa, muscularis propria, and subserosa. The serosa is an additional outer layer in areas of the peritoneal cavity where the bowel is freely moving.

Sessile (SESS isle or SESS ill)
Describes a polyp or lesion that is lying flat--that is, not pedunculated.

Sigmoid colon (SIG moid)
The portion of the colon on the lower left side of the abdomen between the descending colon and the rectum.

Sphincter muscles (SFINK ter)
Muscles that, when healthy and intact, are always somewhat contracted to keep an opening closed. For colorectal cancer survivors, the anal sphincter is the muscle most often mentioned.

Splenic flexure (SPLEN ik)
The point at which the transverse colon turns and descends on the left side of the abdomen, beneath the spleen, becoming the descending colon.

Separate property
property that a spouse owned before a marriage or was acquired in such a way that prevents it from becoming marital property, such as by a will or inheritance.

Serosa (seer OH suh)
The outermost layer of the bowel in areas where the bowel is freely moving (labile). Going outward, the layers of the bowel are mucosa, submucosa, muscularis propria, and subserosa, and serosa in areas of the peritoneal cavity where the bowel is freely moving.

Right colon
Same as the ascending colon.

Rule or Ruling
the decision made by a judge.

Service of Process
refers to the manner in which the opposing party receives notice that a case is being filed against him/her. This must be completed in accordance with law in order for the case to be heard and be binding against the opposing party.

Res Judicata
an issue that has been decided by the court; an adjudicated claim.

Rectum
The last six inches of the colon, the portion just prior to the anus. Feces are stored in the rectum until they are voided. The boundary between the colon and the rectum is difficult to distinguish.

Remission
The tumor-free time period, dated from the first, not the last, therapy session. Patients with tumors that recur within one month of treatment ending are considered to have had no remission. Disappearance of all disease is complete remission; reduction of tumor size by more than 50 percent is considered partial remission.

Pro Se
Latin phrase that refers to a litigant who represents himself/herself without the benefit of an attorney.

Prognosis (prog KNOW sis)
The expected or probable outcome.

Proximal (PROX i mull)
Portion of the colon that is closest to the juncture with the small intestine--that is, the portion farthest from the rectum and anus.

Primary tumor
The original tumor. Metastases may spread from certain malignant primary tumors.

Postseparation support
temporary alimony designed to provide support for dependent spouse while waiting for full alimony trial. Must be requested prior to the entry of a final order of absolute divorce or it is waived.

Platelet
A blood cell called a thrombocyte, important in the blood clotting process.

Pedunculated (peh DUN kyew lay ted)
Describes a polyp on a stalk, the opposite of sessile.

Plaintiff
the person who begins a case in court.

Palliation (pal ee A shun)
The relief of pain without an intent to cure disease.

Partial response
Describes a tumor's response to treatment that is 50 percent smaller or more, but still remains. It's not unusual to see a partial response on imaging halfway through treatment, and a total response by the end of treatment.

Party
a person or company involved in a lawsuit – can be either side of a case.

NSAIDs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

Occult disease
Cancer not detectable by visual exam or by testing strategies such as imaging studies.

Order
the decision of the judge that is put in writing and filed in the court case. The order often requires action and if not complied with, can result in contempt charges.

Overall survival
The total amount of time that a patient survives following treatment, including relapses that were successfully retreated. See Event-free survival.

Neutropenia (nu trow PEA nee uh)
The condition of having abnormally low numbers of one type of white blood cell called neutrophils.

Modification
a petition requesting that the court amend an existing order – often used for child support and child custody/visitation.

Motion
the request made by either side to the court requesting the court to rule or take action on their behalf.

Mucosa (myew KO suh)
The inner lining of the colon containing epithelial cells that produce mucin. The mucosa is composed of several sublayers: the epithelium, the basement membrane, the lamina propria, and the muscularis mucosae. Going outward, the layers of the bowel are mucosa, submucosa, muscularis propria, subserosa. The serosa is an additional outer layer in areas of the peritoneal cavity where the bowel is freely moving.

Metachronous (meh TAH crow nis)
Second tumors that occur independently some time after the primary tumor, not as a result of spread of the first tumor, which is called metastasis.

Metastasis (me TAS te sis)
The spread of cancer to other tissues.

Morbid or morbidity
Does not mean that you have a neurotic outlook. These words simply mean illness, and are somewhat the opposite of mortality. You might read, for example, that a treatment resulted in 20 percent low-level morbidity but only 2 percent mortality. Likewise, comorbidity means the illnesses a person has in addition to cancer, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Lumen (LOO men)
The empty interior of the colon through which food waste travels.

Marital property
the property spouses acquire during their marriage.

Mean
Same as an average.

Median
The midpoint. If 81 patients were treated with drug XYZ, and the time for white blood cell counts to recover following this treatment ranged from two to sixty days, after you rank the patients by the number of days required for their white blood cells to recover, the median is the number of days that it took patient number 41's white blood cells to recover.

Locus (LOW kus)
A position within a gene.

Loci (LOW sigh)
Multiple positions within a gene or genes.

Leukopenia (LU ko PEA nee uh)
The condition of having abnormally low numbers of white blood cells. See also -penia.

Legitimation
an action brought to prove paternity of a child.

Legal custody
custody awarded by law – in the instances of children, a form of custody that allows access to the child s medical records, school records and other matters.

Left colon
Same as the descending colon.

Leucovorin (loo KAV uh rin)
A chemotherapy drug used along with fluorouracil to increase the effectiveness of 5-FU.

Leukocyte (LU ko site)
A general term for all white blood cells.

In North Carolina, they are referred to as the General Statutes of North Carolina.
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/jargon_legal.html

Indigent
a person who can convince the court that he/she cannot afford to pay any costs for legal representation.

Ileum (ILL ee um)
The small intestine, which empties into the large intestine or colon at the cecum, the beginning of the ascending colon.

Hematocrit or Hct (he MAH to crit)
Describes the percentage by volume of red blood cells in whole blood drawn for a CBC.

Hemoglobin (HE muh glow bin)
The iron-containing protein found in the center of a red blood cell that can bind to and transport oxygen.

Ileostomy (ill ee OSS tow mee)
The temporary or permanent channeling of the remaining open end of small intestine through the stomach wall and skin, where an ostomy appliance will attach to capture waste. Ileostomy is the correct term to use when all of the colon has been removed, although some colorectal cancer survivors use the terms colostomy and ileostomy interchangeably.

Hearing
a time scheduled when the judge gives the parties an opportunity to present evidence and testimony in support of their claims.

Guardian Ad Litem
a person, can be an attorney or a trained volunteer, appointed by the Court to represent the best interests of a child or other person who is considered incapacitated by law due to age, illness, or mental condition.

Grey or Gy
A measurement of radiation dose absorbed by the body.

Grounds
reasons for bringing a case into the judicial system.

Granulocytes (GRAN you lo sites)
Types of white blood cells that attack bacteria by engulfing them. Eosinophils, neutrophils, basophils, and mast cells are types of granulocytes.

Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)
A test using agents that can detect certain components of blood (often iron metabolites) in fecal samples. Some oncologists recommend this testing as part of a constellation of follow-up care after treatment for colorectal cancer. The general population is urged to have this testing yearly (in conjunction with other tests) as part of screening for detection of early colonic cancers.

Final Judgment
the decision by the judge that resolves a legal matter unless appealed.

Family Court Case Manager
staff member of the Family Court who schedules hearings, trials, and assists with referrals to appropriate community resources.

Ex parte
when one party to a case speaks or meets with a judge without the presence of the other party or party s attorney. This type of communication is highly inappropriate and not allowed except in unusual and emergency circumstances.

Exhibit
a document or other physical object presented to the court as evidence.

Erythrocyte (eh REETH ro site)
A red blood cell. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to body tissues.

Event-free survival
The total amount of time that a patient survives, without relapse, following treatment. See Overall survival.

Evidence
the documents, testimony or other information presented by the parties to the court to persuade a judge or jury to rule in their favor.

Distal (DISS tul)
The portion of the colon that is closest to the rectum and anus.

Discovery
a process whereby the parties find out the witnesses and evidence to be presented by the other side. Discovery includes Requests for Admissions, depositions, interrogatories, and Requests for Production of Documents.

Divorce from Bed and Board
judicial separation: authorizes the party not at fault to live separate and apart from the other spouse. Not a divorce - parties cannot remarry.

Defendant
the person being sued or the person the case is against.

Default Judgment
a judgment entered against a party who does not answer the charges filed against him/her or does not appear in court. Not used in Domestic cases.

Decision
the determination of a case by the judge of the court.

Decree
an order entered by the court that sets forth the judge s decision.

Descending colon
The portion of colon that continues down from the upper left part of the abdomen. It descends from the transverse colon at the splenic flexure. It descends on the left side of the abdomen, where it turns inward to become the sigmoid colon.

Cytotoxic (sigh toe TOX ic)
A term for anything that kills cells. Many chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens are cytotoxic to both healthy and cancerous cells.

Court Costs
the charges associated with a court case, other than attorney s fees. The court may order the losing side to pay the winning side s court costs.

Custody
the possession of an item or child. Legal custody means that the possession has been granted by the courts; physical custody refers to the actual physical location of the item or child.

Complete blood count or CBC
A count of the red, white, and platelet cells in peripheral blood.

Complete remission
The disappearance of all signs of disease for one month or longer.

Complaint
the first document filed by the Plaintiff that begins a court case.

Counterclaim
a pleading filed by the Plaintiff to respond to charges set forth in defendant s answer.

Court
the branch of the government that can determine interpretation of laws and resolve legal problems. In North Carolina, several courts exist including Small Claims, District, Superior, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court.

Colectomy (coal EK tow mee)
The removal of part or all of the colon.

Colonoscopy (coal un OSS kow pee)
The examination of the entire length of the colon, up to its juncture with the small intestine, using a flexible tube that has a camera and a light source attached.

Colostomy (coal OSS tow mee)
The temporary or permanent channeling of the remaining open end of colon through the stomach wall and skin, where an ostomy appliance will attach to capture waste.

Clear margins
The desirable result of surgery for colorectal cancer. All tissue samples should have clear margins on all edges.

Civil Procedure
the rules and process that govern how a civil case is presented in court; includes presentation of evidence, trial conduct, and the process of appealing a decision.