Adverse Drug Reaction: An unexpected medical response to the administration of drugs. The onset of this response may be sudden or develop over time and may be mild, moderate or severe.

Biopsy: The removal of cells/tissues for review and identification under a microscope.

Cancer: Pertaining to cells that grow and spread in an uncontrolled manner.

Chemotherapy: Chemical treatments that target and kill cancerous cells or tissues.

c-Kit: A protein associated with cell growth. Altered forms of this receptor may be associated with some types of cancer. Drugs targeting this receptor may be beneficial.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CT Scan): A type of x-ray that takes multiple "pictures" internally of the body.

Double-blind: A clinical trial design in which neither the participants nor the doctor or other healthcare providers know which patients are receiving the investigational drug and which are receiving a placebo.

Dyspnea: Difficulty breathing.

Epithelial Cells: Cells that make up the surfaces and lining of the body, including the lungs.

Hemoptysis: Coughing up blood.

Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: The medical guidelines determining if a patient may or may not be allowed to enter a clinical trial. These criteria are based on factors including age, the type and stage of a disease, previous treatment history and other medical conditions. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are intended to identify the appropriate participants for a trial and keep them safe.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee (EC): A group of people who comprise a board or committee that exists to protect the rights of research subjects. They are there to review and approve research trials before they begin and to answer questions or any concerns for research subjects before, during and after the trial.

Investigational new drug: A compound being tested for safety and effectiveness and that has not been approved for use outside of a clinical trial.

Lobectomy: Surgical removal of a part of the lung to remove cancerous tissue or a tumor.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): See Computerized Axial Tomography also; similar to a CT scan, but uses radio waves and a strong magnet to take pictures of sections of the internal body.

Metastasis: When cancer cells spread from their original location to other tissues or organs.

Microscope: A tool to view objects too small to see with the eyes.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Refers to three of the four main types of lung cancer, which includes squamous, adenocarcinoma, and large cell NSCLC. Adenocarcinoma is usually found on the outer area of the lung(s), squamous cell cancer is usually found in the center of the lung(s), and large cell cancer can be found anywhere in the lung(s).

Placebo: A placebo is an inactive substance that is packaged as a pill, liquid or powder and is given in the same way as the investigational drug in a trial. Placebos have no medical effect.

Randomized Clinical Trial: A study in which participants are randomly (by chance, like the flipping of a coin) assigned to one of two or more treatment groups in a clinical trial.

Resistant: When a disease no longer responds to treatment.

Refractory: A disease or condition that no longer responds to previously used treatments.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC): One of the main types of lung cancer; it is fast-growing and the cancer cells that cause SCLC are small and oval-shaped. See non-small cell lung cancer also.

Standard of Care: A treatment or set of treatments that is generally agreed to be the best for a particular stage of disease based ideally on data from well-controlled clinical trials.

Tissue(s): Group of similar cells in an area.

Tumor: A mass or growth of new tissue.

Unresectable: Unable to be removed by surgery.

Vascular disrupting agent: A drug compound that targets and disrupts existing blood vessel networks in a tumor.

For more commonly used clinical trial terms and definitions, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov and the other websites listed in the useful resources page.