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Glossary

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  • Tuberculosis

    (too-BER-kyoo-LOH-sis)

    A disease caused by a specific type of bacteria that spreads from one person to another through the air. Tuberculosis can affect many parts of the body, but most often affects the lungs. A person may not have symptoms of tuberculosis for years, but they may appear when the patient becomes ill with a serious condition like diabetes, AIDS, or cancer. Tuberculosis can usually be treated and cured with antibiotics. Also called TB.

  • Tuberous Sclerosis

    (TOO-ber-us skleh-ROH-sis)

    A genetic disorder in which benign (not cancer) tumors form in the kidneys, brain, eyes, heart, lungs, and skin. This disease can cause seizures, mental disabilities, and different types of skin lesions.

  • Tumor

    (TOO-mer)

    An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. Tumors may be benign (not cancer), or malignant (cancer). Also called neoplasm.

  • Tumor grade

    (TOO-mer grayd)

    A description of a tumor based on how abnormal the cancer cells and tissue look under a microscope and how quickly the cancer cells are likely to grow and spread. Low-grade cancer cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancer cells. Grading systems are different for each type of cancer. They are used to help plan treatment and determine prognosis. Also called grade and histologic grade.

  • Tumor lysis syndrome

    (TOO-mer LY-sis SIN-drome)

    A condition that can occur after treatment of a fast-growing cancer, especially certain leukemias and lymphomas (cancers of the blood). As tumor cells die, they break apart and release their contents into the blood. This causes a change in certain chemicals in the blood, which may cause damage to organs, including the kidneys, heart, and liver.

  • Tumor marker

    (TOO-mer MAR-ker)

    A substance found in tissue, blood, bone marrow, or other body fluids that may be a sign of cancer or certain benign (noncancer) conditions.

  • Tumor markers

    (TOO-mer MAR-kers)

    A substance found in tissue, blood, bone marrow, or other body fluids that may be a sign of cancer or certain benign (noncancer) conditions. Many tumor markers are proteins made by both normal cells and cancer cells, but they are made in higher amounts by cancer cells. Genetic changes in tumor tissue, such as gene mutations, patterns of gene expression, and other changes in tumor DNA or RNA, are also being used as tumor markers. A tumor marker may be used with other tests to help diagnose cancer. It may also be used to help plan treatment, give a likely prognosis, and find out how well treatment is working or if cancer has come back. Examples of tumor markers include CA-125 (in ovarian cancer), estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (in breast cancer), CEA (in colon cancer), PCA3 mRNA and PSA (in prostate cancer), and EGFR gene mutation (in non-small cell lung cancer).

  • Turcot syndrome

    (ter-KOH SIN-drome)

    A rare, inherited disorder in which polyps (abnormal growths of tissue) form on the inside walls of the colon and rectum, and tumors form in the brain. There are two types of Turcot syndrome, which are caused by mutations (changes) in different genes. People with Turcot syndrome have a higher-than-normal risk of colorectal cancer and brain cancer, especially glioblastoma and medulloblastoma.

  • Turner syndrome

    (TER-ner SIN-drome)

    A genetic condition that occurs in females who have a missing or abnormal X chromosome (sex chromosome). Turner syndrome is marked by a shorter-than-average height, ovaries that do not function normally, and infertility. Other signs and symptoms may include extra folds of skin on the neck, a low hairline at the back of the neck, swelling of the hands and feet, and heart, kidney, bone, and hearing problems. Turner syndrome is present at birth but its signs and symptoms may occur slowly over time. Having Turner syndrome increases the risk of germ cell tumors in the ovaries.

  • Tyrosine kinase inhibitor

    (TY-ruh-seen KY-nays in-HIH-bih-ter)

    A substance that blocks the action of enzymes called tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine kinases are a part of many cell functions, including cell signaling, growth, and division. These enzymes may be too active or found at high levels in some types of cancer cells, and blocking them may help keep cancer cells from growing. Some tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used to treat cancer. They are a type of targeted therapy.