12 Cancer Terms to Know Before You Start Treatment

Being diagnosed with cancer is overwhelming enough. But soon after you get the news, you may also be inundated with new and complex terms and concepts that describe the cancer and your potential care or treatment.

“I think hearing you have cancer, for most people, it’s like they’ve gotten run over by a truck,” says Alan Bryce, MD, chief clinical officer, a medical oncologist, and a professor of molecular medicine at the City of Hope Cancer Center and Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix. “There’s just a lot of shock and awe. It’s hard to absorb.” So it’s understandable that any additional information, such as cancer terms, can feel like information overload.

It’s okay if you’re not able to wrap your head around the diagnosis yet, let alone all the terminology your medical team throws your way. “I tell people, ‘You’re not going to remember all this, and we’re gonna have to go over a lot of this again when I see you the next time,” says Dr. Bryce.

Your care team can walk you through the parts that feel complicated, and you’ll become more familiar with the words as time goes on. But if you want to start learning cancer terminology sooner, rather than later, here are some basic words for starters:

1. Stage 

The first thing your doctor will likely tell you is the specific type of cancer you have, says Bryce, followed by the stage.

“The stage of cancer describes the extent of cancer, guides treatment choice, and can potentially indicate if the cancer is curable or not,” says Shanthi Sivendran, MD, senior vice president for cancer care support at the American Cancer Society and a hematology/oncology physician at Penn Medicine in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

It’s important to know that the stage is defined differently across cancer types. Your doctor can provide information about what it means for you.

2. Grade

3. Locally Advanced

4. Metastasis

Metastasis is when cancer cells have spread from one part of the body to another, usually through the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

5. Standard of Care

6. Chemotherapy

Dr. Sivendran says that it’s important to understand early on what treatments are available to you and which specific types your doctor recommends.

7. Radiation Therapy

8. Immunotherapy

9. Hormone Therapy

10. Adjuvant Therapy

Sivendran explains that treatments may be done in conjunction with each other. She says it’s important to know what order you’ll be getting them in and what side effects are common.

11. Biomarker Testing

12. Palliative Care

• Jot down your questions ahead of your appointment, so you remember to ask all of them.
• Take notes during appointments.
• Ask your doctor to provide an after-visit summary that contains the diagnosis (including the stage and grade), the recommended treatment course, and any other important details.
• Let your healthcare provider know if there are terms or concepts you’re still unclear on, so they can further explain or point you to another resource.

It’s also a good idea, Bryce says, to bring a family member or friend along to appointments to support you and also ask questions. “It helps to have more ears hearing the information,” says Bryce. “We understand that it’s overwhelming. It does take a while. We don’t expect you to get it all at once.”

The Takeaway

• Getting diagnosed with cancer can be overwhelming, and understanding cancer terminology right away can be difficult.
• The most important things to know about are the type and stage of the cancer and the treatments your doctor is recommending.
• To help understand your treatment options, ask lots of questions in your appointments, bring a family member or friend to support you, and take notes.