This article aims to build on the Part 1 of this series. Out of necessity, mesothelioma patients more than other patient groups are savvy consumers of research and data. To help patients make sense of information shared by clinicians and researchers, we created a mesothelioma glossary of frequently used terms. If you missed the first part, you can read it here: https://www.curemeso.org/2021/05/19/mesothelioma-jargon-guide-and-glossary-part-1/
CAR-T: A T cell treatment that utilizes the patient’s own T cells, which are removed, engineered to attack the cancer, and then returned to the patient.
ECOG: (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) Performance Status. See the entry for Performance Status.
HIPEC: Short for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. HIPEC is a two part procedure the first part of which involves cytoreductive surgery after which the abdominal area is soaked in heated chemotherapy drugs to remove as much microscopic cancer as possible.
MPM: Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Multi-modality treatment: Using two or more treatment modalities for treatment (i.e. surgery followed by chemotherapy)
Neoadjuvant: This is a course of systemic treatment administered prior to surgery, typically with the purpose of shrinking the tumor to improve the durable effects of the subsequent surgery and increase the likelihood of success.
Performance Status: This is a score that estimates a patient’s well-being by taking into account their ability to perform certain tasks unassisted. The Karnofsky Performance Scale and the ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) Performance Status are the two most commonly used scales.
Pseudoprogression: This is the initial appearance of tumor growth on scans, usually seen after immunotherapy treatment, that eventually stabilizes or even recedes.
RECIST: Stands for ‘Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors’ and is a method for describing and classifying tumors in order to allow for standardized comparisons in clinical trials as well as prognosis.
Resectable: This term refers to a tumor that a surgical oncologists has determined can be surgically removed.
Treatment Modality: In mesothelioma treatment, modalities most frequently refer to systemic treatments, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, surgery, and radiation.
Tumor Treating Fields: Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing affected cancer cells to die. The therapy is administered through a device worn by the patient. In May of 2019, a device Optune Lua, formerly known as NovoTTF-100L, was approved under Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) to be used in combination with chemotherapy.
