"Cancerese"

Ok!  I know it, you know it, all cancer patients know it, cancer care workers know it...  we have our own language and secret code when it comes to talking about cancer.  Sure, all trades, fields, and disciplines have their own custom jargon.  This is true.  But how many of them have their own dictionary?  Well... I have just discovered the "Dictionary of Cancer Terms" as posted by the National Cancer Institute (US). 

The "Dictionary of Cancer Terms" contains over 6000 terms related to cancer and medicine.  Granted, many of these terms are shared with other branches of medicine or are found in general usage in the world-at-large, it is still an impressive vocabulary.  So impressive that the National Cancer institute also has both a Thesaurus AND a Metathesaurus!  A Metathesaurus!  

The Metathesaurus is a "comprehensive biomedical terminology database that includes 1,300,000 concepts mapped to 4,600,000 terms with 17, 000,000 relationships"!!  WOW!  I guess it is basically a thesaurus that has "metastacized" and gone totally beyond its normal state! 

This is, of course, the most fascinating of stuff!  I can take my laptop to my next appointment and translate as I go!!  Truly, it is a wondeful resource for the cancer pilgrim as they wander through this strange land.  Here are a few terms I share with you today...

colorectal cancer (KOH-loh-REK-tul KAN-ser) Cancer that develops in the colon (the longest part of the large intestine) and/or the rectum (the last several inches of the large intestine before the anus).

sigmoidoscopy (sig-MOY-DOS-koh-pee) Examination of the lower colon using a sigmoidoscope, inserted into the rectum. A sigmoidoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. (what I am having later today!)

spirituality (SPIR-ih-choo-A-lih-tee) Having to do with deep, often religious, feelings and beliefs, including a person’s sense of peace, purpose, connection to others, and beliefs about the meaning of life.

Be Well... Rob; in Vancouver

“Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession.”
Kingman Brewster