Aggressiveness:
The degree to which (or speed at which) a tumor grows and spreads.

Anaplasia:
A lack of differentiation. Thus, an anaplastic cancer is highly undifferentiated and usually very aggressive.

Benign:
Noncancerous.

Carcinogen:
An agent that causes cancer.

Carcinoma-in-situ:
Cancerous cells that are still contained within the tissue where they have started to grow and that have not yet become invasive or spread to other parts of the body.

Cecum:
The large pouch forming the beginning of the large intestine, into which the ileum section of the small intestine ends.

Colectomy:
Resection of the colon.

Colon:
A section of the large intestine extending between the cecum and the rectum.

Cure:
Complete elimination of the cancer with the result that the specific cancer will not grow back.

Differentiation:
The extent to which the cancerous cells resemble normal cells—less resemblance means the cancer is less differentiated and more aggressive.

Invasion:
The capacity of a cancer to infiltrate and destroy surrounding tissue.

Malignant:
Cancerous.

Metastasis:
Cancerous cells that have spread to a completely new location.

Neoplasm:
General term for a tumor, whether cancerous or noncancerous.

Recurrence (relapse):
Cancerous cells return after treatment, either in the primary location or as metastases (spread).

Remission:
Absence of all evidence of a cancer after treatment.

Resection:
surgical removal of all or part of an organ.

Survival rate:
The percentage of people who survive for a given time period after treatment (for example, the 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who survive 5 years).

Tumor:
Abnormal growth or mass.

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