Glossary of Terms
Cancer care comes with a language of its own, and it is usually explained quickly, once, on a day when you are taking very little in. Here are the words you are most likely to hear, in plain English.
Adjuvant therapy – treatment given after the main treatment, usually surgery, to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
AYA – Adolescent and Young Adult. Used to describe cancer services designed for teenagers and people in their late teens to twenties.
Benign – not cancerous. A benign tumour does not spread to other parts of the body, though it may still need treatment.
Biopsy – removing a small sample of tissue so that it can be examined under a microscope. The only way to confirm a sarcoma diagnosis.
Bone sarcoma – a sarcoma that begins in bone, such as osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma or chondrosarcoma.
Chemotherapy – anti-cancer drugs that destroy cancer cells throughout the body.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) – a senior nurse who specialises in one area of care and is usually your main point of contact between appointments.
Clinical trial – a research study testing a new treatment or a new way of using an existing one.
CT scan – computed tomography. A series of X-rays that build a detailed cross-sectional picture of the inside of the body.
Desmoid tumour – a rare tumour of fibrous tissue. Not cancerous, but locally aggressive; often managed by active monitoring.
Excision – surgical removal of a tumour. A wide local excision removes the tumour along with a margin of healthy tissue.
Fascia – the sheet of connective tissue beneath the skin and around muscles. A lump lying deep to the fascia is a red flag for sarcoma.
FNCLCC – the grading system used for soft tissue sarcoma, giving a grade of 1, 2 or 3.
GIST – gastrointestinal stromal tumour, a sarcoma of the digestive tract, usually treated with targeted drug therapy.
Grade – how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumour is likely to grow. Low grade grows slowly; high grade grows faster.
Histology – the study of tissue under a microscope. Your histology report describes exactly what your tumour is made of.
Immunotherapy – treatment that helps the body’s own immune system attack cancer cells.
Limb-sparing surgery – surgery that removes a sarcoma while preserving the arm or leg, usually with reconstruction.
Lymph nodes – small glands that filter fluid around the body. Some sarcomas can spread to nearby nodes, though it is uncommon.
Malignant – cancerous. A malignant tumour can invade nearby tissue and spread elsewhere in the body.
Margin – the border of healthy tissue removed around a tumour. A clear margin means no cancer cells were found at the edge.
MDT – multidisciplinary team. The group of specialists who meet to review your case and agree a treatment plan together.
Metastasis – cancer that has spread from where it started to another part of the body. Sarcoma most often spreads to the lungs.
MRI scan – magnetic resonance imaging. Uses magnetic fields rather than radiation to give a very detailed picture of soft tissue and bone.
Neoadjuvant therapy – treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy given before surgery, usually to shrink the tumour.
Oncologist – a doctor who specialises in cancer. A medical oncologist manages drug treatments; a radiation oncologist manages radiotherapy.
Osteosarcoma – the most common primary bone cancer, most often diagnosed in children and young adults.
Palliative care – care focused on relieving symptoms and maintaining quality of life. It can be given alongside active treatment, at any stage.
Pathologist – the doctor who examines tissue samples and determines the exact type and grade of a tumour.
PET scan – a scan using a radioactive tracer to highlight areas of active cells, often used to check whether cancer has spread.
Primary tumour – the original tumour, where the cancer started.
Prognosis – the likely course of an illness. Prognosis is an estimate based on groups of people and cannot predict any individual’s outcome.
Prosthesis – an artificial replacement, either for a removed section of bone inside the body or for a limb after amputation.
Radiotherapy – high-energy rays used to destroy cancer cells, given before or after surgery or to control symptoms.
Recurrence – cancer that has come back after treatment. Local recurrence is in the same place; distant recurrence is elsewhere in the body.
Remission – when signs and symptoms of cancer have reduced or disappeared. Complete remission means no detectable cancer.
Resection – surgical removal of a tumour or of part of an organ or bone.
Sarcoma – cancer of the connective or supporting tissues of the body: bone, muscle, fat, cartilage, nerves and blood vessels.
Soft tissue sarcoma – a sarcoma that begins in tissue other than bone, such as muscle, fat, blood vessels or nerves.
Stage – a description of the size of a tumour and how far it has spread, usually given as a number from 1 to 4.
Subtype – the specific kind of sarcoma you have, such as leiomyosarcoma or synovial sarcoma. There are around 100 subtypes, and the subtype drives treatment.
Targeted therapy – drug treatment aimed at a specific genetic change or protein driving a particular cancer.
TNM – the staging system describing Tumour size, Node involvement and Metastasis.
Tumour – an abnormal growth of cells, which may be benign or malignant.
Ultrasound – a painless scan using sound waves, often the first look at a lump close to the surface of the body.
From Support Group to Charity: The Birth of Sarcoma Cancer Ireland
During the global pandemic, a small number of patients and carers discussed the idea of evolving the support group into a charity. Early conversations centred around a wishlist of what we thought was needed – education, advocacy and support. These became the 3 pillars that our charity focussed on.
After much hard work and careful planning, Sarcoma Cancer Ireland was granted charity status by the Charities Regulator of Ireland in February 2024.
Our Board of Trustees comprises a mix of sarcoma patients and carers. They all have first hand knowledge of how cancer impacts families and experience with navigating the Irish health system. Our volunteer network stretches across all counties, North and South.
We receive no government funding. All services and activities undertaken by Sarcoma Cancer Ireland is 100% funded by public donations. Board members and volunteers do not receive payment for their work and all money raised is spent on furthering the goals and strategies outlined in our Annual Plan. From our initial beginnings as a protest group to our current work as an official cancer charity, we are proud of our progress and excited for our future