A
ANALGESIC
A medication administered to reduce pain.
ANAPLASIA
Cells or groups of cells that grow without structure. (Often used to describe cancer cells.)
ANESTHESIA
The administration of medications, both intravenous and gaseous, to provide pain relief and/or unconsciousness during surgery.
ANESTHESIOLOGIST
A physician specializing in the study and administration of anesthesia and in the care of patients before, during, and after anesthesia.
ANESTHETIST
A person who administers anesthesia—often a nurse with advanced training in this specialty.
ANGIOGRAM
A diagnostic procedure performed in the x-ray department to visualize blood vessels following introduction of a contrast material (dye) into an artery.
ANTI-CONVULSANTS
Medications used to treat or prevent seizures.
APHASI
Difficulty with understanding or expressing language, due to damage in the cerebral cortex.
ATAXI
Inability to coordinate movement or balance. Clumsiness.
ATAXIC GAIT
Loss of motor control of the legs, resulting in clumsy and uncertain movement. This symptom may occur with any of several types of brain tumors, especially those affecting the cerebellum.
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
A part of the nervous system that we cannot control voluntarily (the brain cannot control the way it works). This system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. It is what is commonly called our “fight or flight” response to stress. For example, some of us may feel uncomfortable speaking before a large audience. We cannot control our sweaty hands, flushed cheeks and perspiration.
back to top
B
BENIGN TUMOR
Slow-growing, non malignant tumor that does not spread to other parts of the body.
BIOPSY
Examination of a small amount of tissue by a pathologist who can provide a diagnosis of tumor type.
BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER
A protective barrier formed by the blood vessels and glia of the brain. It prevents some substances in the blood from entering brain tissue.
BRACHYTHERAPY
A system of treatment in which radioactive substances are placed near or in a brain tumor.
back to top
C
CANCER
Cells with uncontrolled growth. A neoplasm.
CAT SCAN or CT scan
Computerized Axial Tomography. An x-ray device linked to a computer that produces images of predetermined cross-sections of the brain. A special dye material may be injected into the patient’s vein prior to the scan to help make any abnormal tissue more evident.
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID or CSF
The clear fluid made in the ventricular cavities of the brain that bathes the brain and spinal cord. It circulates through the ventricles and the subarachnoid space.
CHEMOTHERAPY
The use of certain medicines to destroy tumor cells. Chemotherapeutic drugs may be given by mouth or injected through an intravenous line. Sometimes chemotherapy is given directly into the nervous system.
CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST
A professional concerned with developing activity programs and using play therapies to help children cope with the effects of an illness and treatments.
CNS
Central Nervous System. Referring to the brain and spinal cord.
COGNITION
A generic term involving perceiving, recognizing, conceiving, judging, sensing, reasoning, remembering and imagining.
CORTICOSTEROIDS
Drugs used to decrease swelling (edema) around tumors. Also see Decadron.
CRANIOTOMY
Any surgical opening into the skull (cranium).
CRANIAL NERVE
12 pairs of important nerves that originate in the base of the brain; they control various senses, swallowing, and muscles in the face and neck.
CSF
See Cerebrospinal Fluid
CYST
A cavity, usually filled with a fluid, sometimes associated with tumors.
back to top
D
DECADRON (Dexamethasone.)
A glucocorticosteriod medication used to reduce brain tissue swelling.
DIABETES INSIPIDUS
A problem with water balance in the body due to dysfunction of the pituitary gland causing excess urine production and great thirst.
DILANTIN (Phenytoin.)
A medication prescribed to control seizures and convulsions.
DIPLOPIA
Double vision.
DURA
Tough outer membrane covering the brain.
DYSARTHRI
Impairment of the ability to articulate words. A symptom that may occur with tumors located in the medulla of the brain.
DYSPHAGI
Difficulty in swallowing. This symptom usually indicates tumors involving the lower brain stem/cranial nerves.
DYSPHASIA
Impaired speech with difficulty or inability to put words in their proper order. A symptom that may occur with tumors located in the dominant cerebral hemisphere, particularly the temporal and parietal lobe.
back to top
E
EDEMA
An excessive accumulation of fluid in the cells or tissue that results in
swelling.
EEG Electro-encephalogram. A test that measures the electrical activity in the
brain, especially the presence of epilepsy.
ENCAPSULATED Refers to a tumor that is localized, or wholly confined to a specific area,
surrounded by a capsule.
ENDOCRINOLOGIST A doctor who is trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the endocrine
glands. (These glands secrete hormones that effect many body functions.)
EPILEPSY A disorder in which uncontrolled electrical discharges from nerves in the
brain cause seizures or loss of consciousness.
back to top
G
GAMMA KNIFE
The brand name for the device that performs stereotactic radiosurgery.
GLIAL CELLS
Cells of the central nervous system that nourish and support the nerve cells and the blood vessels that supply the nervous system. There are several types of glial tissue: astrocytes, ependymal cells and oligendrocytes.
GLIOMA
Any tumor arising from glial tissue.
GRAD
When related to a tumor it reflects the (high or low) potential for growth and degree of anaplasia.
GROSS TOTAL RESECTION
Complete removal of a tumor as measured by the surgeon’s observation (not by a microscope).
back to top
H
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
Any medical team member involved in your care. e.g.: nurse, physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, psychologist, etc.
HEMIPARESI
Muscle weakness of one side of the body.
HEMIPLEGIA
Complete paralysis of one side of the body.
HYDROCEPHALUS
“Water on the brain”. A build up of abnormal amounts of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain’s ventricular system that causes pressure on the brain.
HYPERFRACTIONATED RADIOTHERAPY
The administration of radiotherapy in smaller and more frequent doses to equal the prescribed amount.
HYPERTENSION
Elevated (high) blood pressure
back to top
I
IMMUNE SYSTEM
The body’s defense system that protects it from foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses that are harmful to the body.
IMMUNOTHERAPY
Using and boosting the body’s own defense system (antibodies, white cells, etc.) to combat a tumor.
INCREASED INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE or (IICP)
Increased pressure within the head causing pressure on the brain.
INFRATENTORIAL
The bottom portion of the brain (under the tentorium), consisting of the cerebellum and brain stem. Tumors of the posterior fossa are infratentorial.
INTRAVENOUS
Injection into a vein.
INVASIVE
Refers to a tumor that invades healthy tissues.
back to top
L
LASE
A technique using focused light to evaporate tumors during surgery.
LAMIN
A thin flat layer of membrane which is the bony arch of a vertebra.
LUMBAR PUNCTURE (Also LP
Spinal tap, or needle penetration into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar spine. Used to withdraw a sample of spinal fluid for laboratory examination. Also used to inject a dye into the spine prior to a myelogram or to administer medication.
back to top
M
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(Also MRI or MR) A scanning technique used to diagnose and monitor brain tumors. With this technique, magnetic fields, rather than radiation, are used to make a picture of an area of the body.
MALIGNANT
Tending to grow quickly and spread causing harm to surrounding and/or distant tissue.
MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR
A type of tumor with the pathologic features of anaplasia. The degree of anaplasia determines the tumor’s malignancy, or potential for aggressive and uncontrolled growth. Malignant brain tumors behave aggressively and require aggressive treatments but, depending on factors such as their location, type, and early diagnosis, may be curable.
MENINGITIS
Infection or inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that cover the brain and spinal cord.
METASTASIS
The transfer of tumor cells or disease from one part of the body to another.
METASTATIC TUMOR
A tumor that originates elsewhere in the body that may spread to the brain. (See secondary brain tumor.)
back to top
N
NEOPLASM
A tumor, either benign or malignant.
NEUROLOGIST
A doctor specializing in the diagnosis and the treatment of disorders and diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
NEURO-ONCOLOGIST
A physician who specializes in the treatment of cancer and tumors affecting the brain and the spinal cord.
NEUROPATHOLOGIST
A pathologist who specializes in the diagnosis of diseases of the brain and nervous system by microscopic examination of the tissue and other means.
NEURO-PSYCHOLOGIST
A psychologist who specializes in the effects that diseases of the brain and spinal cord have on emotions, behavior, learning, etc.
NEURORADIOLOGIST
A radiologist who specializes in the use of radioactive substances, x-rays and scanning devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system.
NEUROSURGEON
A surgeon specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, and surgical management of disorders and diseases of the brain, the spine, and the nervous system.
NURSE PRACTITIONER or SPECIALIST
A specially educated nurse who provides direct care for your child in collaboration with your child’s physician.
NPO
Nothing to eat or drink (Latin “non per os”, nothing through the mouth).
back to top
O
ONCOGENE
Fragments of genetic material (DNA) that carry the potential to cause cancer.
ONCOLOGIST
A physician who specializes in the treatment of cancer.
OPHTHALMOLOGIS
A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of visual and eye disorders and diseases.
back to top
P
PAPILLEDEMA
Swelling of the optic nerve usually caused by intracranial pressure. Also called choked disc.
PARALYSIS
Total loss of muscle strength.
PARESIS
Partial loss of muscle strength.
PARAPARESI
Weakness of legs only.
PATHOLOGIST
A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis of disorders and diseases by studying the tissues and fluids of the body.
PHENOBARBITAL
An anti-convulsant and sedative medication used to treat seizures.
PHYSIATRIST
A doctor who has special training in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
PITUITARY GLAND
An endocrine gland situated at the base of the brain that supplies hormones that control many vital processes.
PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOR
A type of tumor that originates within the brain itself, in contrast to tumors that spread to the brain from another site of the body.
PROTOCOL
A written plan that specifies exact procedures to be followed. (Related to clinical trials and therapies for brain tumors.)
back to top
R
RADIATION ONCOLOGIST
A physician who specializes in the treatment of tumors by radiation.
RADIATION THERAPY
A technique used to destroy tumor cells by exposing the affected area to radiation. Sometimes called radiotherapy or RT.
RADIOLOGIST
A doctor who specializes in the use of and interpretation of X-rays and other imaging techniques.
RADIO-THERAPIST
A physician specializing in radiation therapy.
REMISSION
The decrease or disappearance of clinical symptoms of a disease (or tumor).
RECURRENCE
The reappearance of signs or symptoms of a disease after a period of remission.
RESECTION
Surgical removal of a tumor. (See gross total/subtotal.)
back to top
S
SEIZURES
Also called convulsions. Excitation of neurons in the brain leads to involuntary muscle contractions. (See epilepsy.)
SECONDARY BRAIN TUMOR
A tumor that develops away from the original site. (See metastasis.)
SHUN
A plastic catheter with a reservoir and a valve used to relieve the increased intracranial pressure caused by hydrocephalus. It is placed in a ventricle in the brain and CSF is directed into another cavity, usually the peritoneum (abdomen) to overcome a blockage or absorption problem. (See V-A, V-P shunts.)
STEROIDS
Medications used to control the build-up of fluid and the swelling of the brain before or after surgery. Decadron( or, dexamethasone, is a steroid commonly used in brain tumor therapy.
STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY
A single dose focal radiation treatment in which many relatively weak doses of radiation are directed at a small target simultaneously, but from numerous points of the head. When these weaker beams converge at the site of the tumor, they deliver a high dose of radiation to have the desired affect on the tumor.
STEROTACTIC or STEREOTAXIS
CT scanning and MR imaging used in conjunction with special computer-assisted instruments permit positioning (for surgery or radiation) in three dimensions. Radiation can be directed very precisely toward a tumor.
SUBTOTAL RESECTION
Removal of the majority, but not all, of a tumor. (“Less than total”surgical removal of a tumor.)
SUPRATENTORIAL
The large top portion of the brain (above the tentorium), consisting of the cerebral hemispheres.
back to top
T
TEGRETOL (Carbamazapine.)
A drug given to control seizures.
TINNITUS
Buzzing or ringing in the ear. Symptom common to tumors of the acoustic nerve. May also be a side effect of some medication.
TUMOR
An abnormal growth. Tumors may be benign or malignant by cell type, or life-threatening by their location.
back to top
U
ULTRASOUND
A technique using sound waves (to give a picture) which is used in the diagnosis of a wide variety of conditions.
V
V-A SHUNT
Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Drains CSF from a ventricle into the abdominal cavity. (See Shunt.)
V-P SHUNT
Ventriculo-atrial shunt. Drains CSF from a ventricle into a vein to the heart. (See Shunt.)
VENTRICLE
Small fluid-filled cavities within the brain. The site of production of cerebrospinal fluid.
VERTIGO
Dizziness.
Comments on this entry are closed.