Abdomen
The central trunk section of the body below the chest area. The abdomen contains some of the body’s major organs, such as the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and intestines.

Adjuvant therapy
Adjuvant treatment is given after the primary treatment to increase the chances of a cure. Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or biological therapy.

Adjuvant radiation
Radiation that aids in removing or preventing a disease. For example, a person with mesothelioma may be treated primarily with chemotherapy, supplemented by adjuvant radiation.

Alimta
Alimta (generic name: pemetrexed) is a chemotherapy drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Patients also typically receive cisplatin (a platinum agent), another widely used chemotherapy drug, in combination with Alimta.

Alternative medicine
Practices used instead of or in addition to standard treatments. The medical community generally does not recognize them as standard or conventional medical approaches. Alternative medicine may include dietary supplements, mega dose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, acupuncture, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation.

Anesthetic
A drug that causes numbness or loss of feeling or awareness (anesthesia). A general anesthetic causes the patient to fall asleep, whereas a local anesthetic affects only a part of the body.

Asbestos
A naturally occurring substance, mined from rock and made up of tiny fibers, used extensively in thousands of building and insulation products. It is considered the primary cause of mesothelioma.

Asbestosis
A non-cancerous lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. The fibers tear the tissue of the wall, causing the lung tissue to scar, becoming stiff and preventing the lung from working as it is supposed to. Asbestosis is progressive (it gets worse over time).

Aspiration
The process of removing fluid or tissue, or both, from a specific area, typically by using a needle or tube.

Benign
Benign tumors (non-cancerous) do not spread to tissues around them or to other parts of the body.

Biopsy
The process of surgically removing tissue from the body. Tissue from a biopsy is examined in a laboratory under a microscope in order to make a diagnosis.

Brachytherapy
Radiation therapy whereby radioactive materials are placed directly inside the chest or the abdomen at the site of the mesothelioma or another form of cancer.

Bronchoscope
A bronchoscope is a flexible, lighted tube that is inserted through the mouth into the lungs to examine air passages. The procedure itself is called a bronchoscopy.

Bronchoscopy (bron-KOS-ko-pee)
A procedure in which a thin, lighted tube is inserted through the nose or mouth. This allows examination of the inside of the trachea and bronchi (passages that deliver air to the lungs), as well as the lung. Bronchoscopy may be used to detect cancer or to perform some treatment procedures.

Cancer
Refers to a disease where the cells divide in an uncontrolled manner.

Catheter
A flexible tube used to deliver fluids into or withdraw fluids from the body.

Chemotherapy (kee-mo-THER-a-pee)
The use of drugs or chemical agents in the treatment or control of disease.

Clinical Trial
A research study that attempts to improve current treatments or finds information on new treatments for particular diseases.

Combination chemotherapy
Treatment using more than one anti-cancer drug.

Complementary medicine
Practices that are meant to enhance or complement standard medical treatment for a particular disease.

CT/CAT (Computed Tomography) scan
A test that uses computers and x-rays to create images of the various parts of the body.

Decortication
Removal of part of, or the entire external surface of, an organ.

Diaphragm
A muscular wall separating the abdomen from the cavity containing the lungs and heart.

Effusion
A collection of fluid in a body cavity, usually between two adjoining tissues. For example, a pleural effusion is the collection of fluid between two layers of the pleura (the sac around the lung).

External radiation
Radiation that is directed onto the skin over a cancerous region within the body.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy
The surgical removal of the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium and the whole lung on the side of the cancerous tumor. It is intended to remove all or most of the cancer and some surrounding tissues as well.

Fluoroscopy
A diagnostic procedure in which x-rays that have passed through the body are projected onto a screen, providing a continuous image of the body’s internal structures.

Gene therapy
Insertion of normal or genetically altered genes into cells, usually to replace defective genes.

General anesthetic
A drug that causes loss of feeling or pain. When a general anesthetic is used during a medical procedure, the patient is typically asleep.

Immunoaugmentive therapy (”IAT”)
A developing treatment for mesothelioma that seeks to strengthen the body’s natural immune system by balancing four blood proteins.

Internal radiation therapy
Placing the radiation treatment source into or near the cancer. This procedure is also called brachytherapy or internal radiation.

Intraoperative photodynamic therapy
A developing treatment for mesothelioma. A drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to light is injected into a vein several days before surgery. The drug helps the surgeon better identify and remove cancerous growths. A special light is shone on the area during the surgery, which increases the chance of the surgeon seeing, and therefore removing, more of the cancer.

Intrapericardial chemotherapy
Chemotherapy drugs injected directly into the pericardium, the lining of the heart.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Treatment in which anti-cancer drugs are put directly into the abdominal cavity through a thin tube.

Intrapleural chemotherapy
Treatment in which anti-cancer drugs are put within the pleural cavity through a thin tube.

Laparoscope (laparoscopy)
A laparoscope is a lighted tube that is inserted into the abdomen to examine the abdominal wall. The procedure is called a laparoscopy. (See also peritoneoscope/peritoneoscopy)

Laparoscopy
A procedure involving the insertion of a thin, lighted tube (called a laparoscope) through the abdominal wall to inspect the inside of the abdomen.

Local anesthetic
A drug or anesthetic that causes a temporary loss of pain or feeling in a part of the body. When a local anesthetic is used during a medical procedure, the patient usually remains awake.

Localized mesothelioma
Mesothelioma that has not spread to other organs of the body.

Lung
One of a pair of organs in the chest that supplies the body with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the body.

Lymph nodes
Small oval bodies contained throughout the body that contain lymph. Lymph nodes act as a first line of defense against infections and cancer.

Malignant
Cancerous cells that are capable of spreading to other parts of the body.

Malignant mesothelioma
A type of cancer in tissue surrounding the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. Asbestos exposure is considered the primary cause of malignant mesothelioma.

Mediastinoscopy (MEE-dee-a-stin-AHS-ko-pee)
A mediastinoscopy is a procedure in which a lighted tube is inserted into the chest to view the organs in the area between the lungs and nearby lymph nodes. The tube is inserted through an incision above the breastbone. This procedure is often performed to obtain a tissue sample from the lymph nodes on the right side of the chest.

Mediastinum
The mediastinum is the partition between the lungs, formed by the adjoining walls of the pleura, and between the lungs and the lymph nodes.

Mesothelial cells (mesothelium tissue)
The general name for the specialized cells that comprise the membrane that lines the lungs, abdomen, heart and other organs in the body. The layer of cells is called mesothelium tissue.

Mesothelioma
A benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor affecting the lining of the lungs (pleura), abdomen (peritoneum) or heart (pericardium). Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma.

Metastasis (meh-TAS-ta-sis)
Metastasis is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. A tumor formed by cells that have spread is called a “metastatic tumor” or a “metastasis.” The metastatic tumor contains cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. The plural form of metastasis is metastases (meh-TAS-ta-seez).

Metastatic (MET-uh-STAT-ik)
Having to do with metastisis, which is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another.

Metastatic tumor
A malignant tumor that has spread from the place in which it started to other parts of the body.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
A sophisticated test that provides in-depth images of organs and structures in the body.

Oncologist (on-KOL-o-jist)
An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer. Some oncologists specialize in a particular type of cancer treatment. For example, a radiation oncologist specializes in treating cancer with radiation.

Oncology
The study of cancer. An oncologist is a physician who specializes in cancer treatment.

Palliative radiation
Radiation treatment aimed at relieving pain and symptoms of disease, but not intended to cure the disease.

Paracentesis
The process of removing fluid from the abdomen.

Pathologist
A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

Pathology
The study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them. To diagnose a particular form of cancer, a pathologist examines a piece of the cancerous tissue under a microscope to determine the size and type of cancer cell.

Pericardial mesothelioma
Cancer of the sac that surrounds the heart.

Pericardiocentesis
The process of removing fluid from the sac around the heart.

Pericardium
The lining that surrounds the heart.

Peritoneal mesothelioma
Cancer of the lining that surrounds the abdominal cavity.

Peritoneoscope
A peritoneoscope is a lighted tube that is inserted into the abdomen to examine the abdominal wall. The procedure is called a peritoneoscopy. (See also laparoscope/laparoscopy)

Peritoneoscopy
Procedure to examine and treat abdominal and pelvic organs, using a small surgical viewing instrument (laparoscope) inserted into the abdomen.

Peritoneum
The lining that surrounds the abdominal cavity.

PET (Positonic Emission Topography) scan
A procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is used. Because cancer cells often use more glucose than normal cells, the pictures can be used to find cancer cells in the body.

Pleura
The lining that surrounds the lungs and prevents the lungs from rubbing against the ribs.

Pleural cavity
The space between the lungs and the chest wall. The cavity is lined by the pleura.

Pleural effusion
The collection of fluid in the space between the pleura (the lining of the lungs) and the general space inside the chest, also known as the chest cavity.

Pleural mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining that surrounds the lung.

Pleurectomy (decortation)
A surgical procedure to remove the pleura, where the cancerous mesothelioma tumor has lodged, along the inner chest wall. It is used to control effusions and ease pain.

Pleurodesis
A procedure used to treat fluid build-up (effusion) within the pleural space or cavity. A medical procedure using chemicals or drugs to cause inflammation and adhesion between the layers of the pleura (the tissue that covers the lungs and lines the interior wall of the chest cavity). This prevents the build-up of fluid in the pleural cavity. It is used as a treatment for severe pleural effusion.

Pneumonectomy
The surgical removal of a lung.

Prognosis
The projected outcome of a disease; the life expectancy.

Protocol
A treatment plan.

Radiation therapy
Intensive x-ray treatment that damages or kills cancer cells.

Radioisotope
An unstable element that releases radiation as it breaks down. Radioisotopes can be used in imaging tests or as a treatment for cancer.

Recurrence
The reappearance of a disease after a period of remission.

Regression
The shrinkage of cancer growth.

Remission
The complete or partial disappearance of the signs and symptoms of disease.

Risk factor
Anything that increases a person’s chances of developing cancer, for example, asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.

Single agent chemotherapy
A single chemical or drug used to combat cancer.

Staging
The determination of the size and extent of cancer in the body.

Standard treatment
The tested and most widely used treatments for a particular disease.

Supportive care
Medical care that is meant to improve the patient’s quality of life as opposed to trying to cure the disease. It is also called symptom management or palliative care.

Surgery
A medical procedure to examine, remove or repair a diseased or potentially diseased portion of the body.

Symptom
An indication or sign of disease. Pain and fever are examples of symptoms.

Systemic disease
A disease that affects the entire body instead of just a specific organ.

Systemic therapy
Treatment that is given through the bloodstream. This method of treatment reaches all the parts of the body.

Thoracentesis
A procedure to remove fluids from the area between the two layers covering the lung (the pleura).

Thoracoscope
A thoracoscope is a lighted tube that is inserted directly into the chest, between the ribs, to examine the lungs and heart. The procedure is called a thoracoscopy.

Thoracoscopy
The use of a thin, lighted tube (called a thoracoscope) to examine the inside of the chest.

Thoracotomy
A surgical procedure that opens up the chest cavity.

Tumor
An abnormal overgrowth of cells. Tumors can be either benign or malignant.

X-ray
High-energy electromagnetic radiation used to diagnose and treat disease.