Ablation: Removal or excision of tissue or a tumor.

Adenocarcinoma: A cancer that develops in the lining of an organ.

Aggressive: In oncologic terms used to describe disease that is fast growing and tending to spread rapidly.

Albumin: The main protein in human blood and a key ingredient in controlling blood pressure.

Angiogram: An x-ray of blood vessels which have been injected with dye to highlight them on the x-ray.

Artery: A vessel that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.

Baseline: The initial measurements or time point, usually just before a patient starts to receive treatment against which future test results will be measured.

Benign: Not cancerous. A benign tumor does not invade surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

Bilirubin: A yellowish compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin in the blood; used to monitor liver performance.

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue which is later analyzed for purposes of diagnosis.

Blood count: A measurement of the number of white or red blood cells (WBCís or RBCís) in a sample of blood.

Cancer: A malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body.

Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or tissues that line or cover body organs. A high percentage of cancers are carcinomas.

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube which is usually placed in an artery or vein which is used for the administration of drugs, nutrients, fluids, or blood products. 

Chemoembolization: A procedure in which chemotherapeutic agents are delivered directly into a tumor, permitting higher concentration of drugs to be in contact with the tumor for longer periods of time, while depriving the tumor of its blood supply.

Chemotherapy: The administration of chemicals that bind to and kill microbes or tumor cells.

Cirrhosis: An abnormal liver condition presenting as scarring of the liver. Alcoholism and hepatitis are frequent causes of cirrhosis.

Colon: Part of the large intestine that runs to the rectum. The colon removes fluid from the digested food and the remaining solid waste moves to the rectum and leaves the body through the anus.

Contrast: Also called contrast media, are chemical substances which are injected into the body to highlight tissues and organs from surrounding tissue.

CT Scan: Computerized tomography scans using a computer to analyze multiple angled x-ray images into a single picture of a body organ.

Femoral Artery: Large artery beginning in the abdomen which goes down into the thigh and leg.

Gastrointestinal (GI): Collective reference to the stomach, intestines and digestive system.

Groin: The area of the body that forms the meeting of the upper thigh and the trunk.

Hemorrhage: An abnormal severe internal or external discharge of blood.

Hepatic: Having to do with the liver.

Hepatic Artery: A main artery that distributes blood to the liver.

Hepatic vein: A main vein which drains blood from the liver.

Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Also called primary liver cancer or hepatoma, is a tumor that originates in the liver.

Immunotherapy: Treatment to stimulate the bodyís immune response thereby restoring the bodyís own ability to fight infection and disease.

Inferior Vena Cava: The main vein that returns blood from the lower extremities, pelvis and abdomen to the heart.

Interferon: A naturally occurring substance that boosts the bodyís immune response and interferes with the ability of viruses to reproduce.

Interventional Radiologist: A physician who uses image guidance techniques to access parts of the body, usually through a blood vessel. Interventional radiologists can treat certain conditions through the skin (percutaneously) by using catheters, balloons, stents, and various types of embolization.

Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to high levels of bilirubin in the blood.

Kidneys: A pair of organs in the abdomen which clear toxins from the blood and maintain water balance in the body by excreting urine.  Urine leaves the kidneys and is channeled into the bladder which stores the urine until it is released through urination.

Liver: The liver is the largest organ in the body.  It plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body including detoxification, making bile, converting food into energy, and cleaning alcohol and waste products from the blood.

Liver Biopsy: A procedure in which a small sample of the liver tissue is removed and analyzed to identify disease.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): A radiologic technique using magnetism and radio waves to generate images of internal structures and organs.

Malignant: A reference to cells or tumors that are growing in an uncontrolled fashion. These growths frequently spread to and disrupt nearby normal tissue, or can travel through the bloodstream and metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body.

Metastasis: The process by which cancer spreads from its place of origin as a primary tumor to other locations in the body. An example of a metastasis is a patient who is diagnosed with melanoma that develops a metastasis in their liver.

Oncologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Palliative Treatment: To partially treat a disease but not cure it completely.  Palliative care can also involve minimizing discomfort for the patient without actively treating the actual symptoms or disease.

Percutaneous: Meaning through the skin, often referring to the placement of a catheter in a blood vessel through a puncture in the skin.

Platelets:   A main component of blood that forms clots and prevents hemorrhage.

Portal Vein: A large vein that carries blood from the stomach and the intestines to the liver.

Primary: The original site of symptoms or a disease.

Prognosis: A prediction of the expected course and outcome of a disease. 

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA):   A procedure in which electrodes which generate heat are placed in the tumor with the intent of destroying it.  A probe is inserted into the center of the tumor and the heat that is generated by the probe destroys (ablates) the tissue that is adjacent to it.

Radiology: The branch of medicine that uses radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Radiologic: Having to do with radiology.

Radiologist: A physician specializing in radiology.

Recurrence: The return of a symptom or disease after a period of stability or improvement. The reappearance of cancer cells in a patient is a form of recurrence.

Renal: Having to do with the kidneys.

Resection: The surgical removal of a tumor or part of an organ.

Scan: Imaging data obtained from the examination of parts of the body with a sensing device.

Side effects: Problems or resulting conditions that occur in addition to the desired therapeutic effect of a treatment.

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease or injury by operative or manual methods.  A surgeon frequently performs procedures using a knife (scalpel).

Surgery: The branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions which are treated by operative procedures. Surgery is the work done by a surgeon.

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. Systemic chemotherapy involves the infusion of drugs that travel through the bloodstream to reach all parts of the body. 

Transplant: The implanting of a tissue or an organ from one place to another. The transplanting of tissue can be from one part of the patient to another (autologous transplant), or from one patient to another (allogenic transplant), as in the case of transplanting a liver from a donor into a recipient.

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). There are many different types of tumors and they are classified based on the type of tissue from which they arose.  Diagnosis depends on the type and location of the tumor.

Vascular: Relating to the blood vessels. The blood vessels of the body, as a group, are referred to as the vascular system.

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood from the body back to the heart.

Vena Cava: The large vein that carries blood back to the heart. The superior vena cava returns blood to the heart from the head, neck and both upper limbs. The inferior vena cava returns blood to the heart from the lower part of the body.