Cancer survivorship glossary

Survivorship

The phase of life from cancer diagnosis onward, often used to describe life after active treatment — including recovery, monitoring, and long-term wellbeing.

Learn more about cancer survivorship.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Seven domains of survivorship

The seven domains of survivorship are Oncera’s way of organizing the many signals of life after cancer into clear, manageable focus areas: Physical Health, Emotional Wellbeing, Sleep, Nutrition, Hormone Therapy, Alcohol & Nicotine, and Environmental Health.

Learn more about the seven domains of survivorship.

Oncera Health Index (OHI)

The Oncera Health Index (OHI) is a self-reported tracking score that summarizes how a cancer survivor is doing across the seven domains of survivorship, calculated from their own daily check-ins. It is educational and non-diagnostic, not a validated clinical measure.

Learn more about the Oncera Health Index.

Follow-up cliff

The follow-up cliff is the sudden drop in clinical contact that comes when active cancer treatment ends. During treatment, someone checks on you constantly: appointments, labs, a team watching how you respond week to week. Then treatment finishes, and contact falls from near daily to a visit every few months. The care did not stop because recovery finished. It stopped because the protocol did.

Learn more about the follow-up cliff.

Recovery gap

The recovery gap is the distance between the day treatment ends and the day you actually feel recovered. On paper those can look like the same moment. In real life they are usually months or years apart, and the space between them is where much of survivorship actually happens: fatigue that outlasts the calendar, a body that is still repairing, and feelings that only arrive once the urgency stops.

Learn more about the recovery gap.

Remission

A period in which signs and symptoms of cancer are reduced or absent. Remission is not the same as cure, which is why ongoing monitoring matters.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Late effects

Health effects that appear months or years after cancer treatment ends.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Long-term effects

Effects that begin during treatment and continue afterward, such as fatigue or changes in sleep or mood.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Surveillance

Ongoing follow-up — visits, exams, or tests — used to monitor health after treatment.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Survivorship care plan

A summary of the treatment received plus a forward-looking plan for follow-up, healthy habits, and what to watch for.

Source: Cancer.Net (ASCO)

Cancer-related fatigue

A persistent sense of physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion related to cancer or its treatment that is not fully relieved by rest.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Fear of recurrence

Worry or anxiety that cancer may return — one of the most common experiences in survivorship.

Source: Cancer.Net (ASCO)

Hormone therapy

Treatment that blocks or lowers hormones to help prevent some cancers (such as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer) from returning; it can continue for years.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Chemo brain

Common cognitive changes after treatment — such as memory slips or trouble concentrating — that usually improve over time.

Source: American Cancer Society

Lymphedema

Swelling, often in an arm or leg, that can occur after treatment affecting the lymphatic system.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Oncologist

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Patient-reported outcome measure (PROM)

A standardized questionnaire completed by the patient that captures their own experience of symptoms, function, or quality of life. See our guide to survivorship questionnaires.

Source: HealthMeasures (Northwestern University)

PROMIS

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System — NIH-funded measures, managed by HealthMeasures at Northwestern University, assessing physical, mental, and social health on a standardized T-score.

Source: HealthMeasures (Northwestern University)

FACT-G

Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General: a widely used questionnaire measuring overall quality of life across physical, social/family, emotional, and functional wellbeing.

Source: FACIT.org

FACT-B

The breast-cancer-specific version of FACT-G, adding a Breast Cancer Subscale about concerns such as body image, arm swelling, and treatment side effects.

Source: FACIT.org

Scanxiety

The anxiety many survivors feel before, during, or after follow-up scans and while waiting for results — a common and normal part of surveillance.

Source: Cancer.Net (ASCO)

No evidence of disease (NED)

A status meaning tests and exams show no detectable cancer. It is encouraging but, like remission, is not the same as cure — so follow-up continues.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Metastasis

The spread of cancer from where it started to other parts of the body. "Metastatic" describes cancer that has spread.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)

Tingling, numbness, or pain — usually in the hands or feet — from chemotherapy damage to peripheral nerves. It often eases after treatment but can linger.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Cardiotoxicity

Damage to the heart that some cancer treatments — including certain chemotherapies and radiation — can cause, sometimes years later. Survivorship care watches for it.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Adjuvant therapy

Treatment given after the main treatment (often surgery) to lower the chance cancer returns — for example chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Neoadjuvant therapy

Treatment given before the main treatment — often to shrink a tumor before surgery.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Tamoxifen

A hormone therapy that blocks estrogen in breast tissue, used to treat and help prevent recurrence of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Often taken for 5 to 10 years.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Aromatase inhibitor

A hormone therapy that lowers estrogen, used for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer (usually after menopause). Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Treatment-induced menopause

Menopause brought on early by chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or surgery, which can bring hot flashes, sleep changes, and bone-density loss.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Bone-density loss

A drop in bone strength that some treatments — such as hormone therapy or early menopause — can cause, raising the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Fertility preservation

Steps taken before or after treatment — such as freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos — to protect the ability to have children later.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Palliative care

Specialized care focused on relief from symptoms and stress at any stage of illness — not only end of life. It can run alongside active treatment and survivorship.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Quality of life (QoL)

An overall sense of wellbeing across physical, emotional, social, and functional life — a central focus of survivorship care and of measures like FACT-G.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Patient navigator

A nurse or trained guide who helps survivors coordinate care, understand options, and move through the health system — a key point of contact after treatment.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

Biomarker

A measurable biological sign — often from blood or tissue — used to learn about a cancer, guide treatment, or monitor how it responds.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms