Page 24 - Family Help

Glossary

Radiologist A doctor who specialises in reading X-rays and scans
and carries out scans and other X-ray techniques.
Squamous Consisting of a single layer of plate-like cells. A covering
resembling scales.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
Squamous cell carcinoma usually occurs higher up in
the oesophagus than adenocarcinoma.
Staging The extent of a cancer in the body. Staging is usually
based on the size of the tumour, whether lymph nodes
contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from
the original site to other parts of the body. Each cancer
type has its own staging, often from 0 to 4 or A to D.
Surgeons Doctors who perform operations and other surgical
procedures (including biopsies) to diagnose and treat
cancer. There are many different kinds of surgeon and
they have different areas of interest or expertise. They
may specialise in a type of cancer, such as oesophageal
or gastric cancer, or in operating on a particular part of
the body. Sometimes several surgeons work together.
Thoracotomy An operation to open the chest.
Tumour A growth or enlargement that causes a swelling. It is
also called a neoplasm. A tumour can be localised or
spreading, harmless or cancerous. It is named after its
location, or its cellular make-up or for the person who
identified it.
Tylosis A very rare skin disorder which is associated with
oesophageal cancer.
Upper gastrointestinal The upper part of the digestive system, including the
oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gall bladder and
bile ducts. Often shortened to Upper GI.
Ultrasound Scan using sound waves to build up a picture of the
inside of the body. The resulting picture of body tissues
is called a sonogram.

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