Examples of Patient-Friendly Language Table
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Instead of this term |
Consider using this term |
Adverse event |
Side effect or harmful effect |
Agent |
Drug |
Cohort |
Group or sub-group |
Comorbidity |
Other illnesses or diseases patients may have |
Familial cancer |
Hereditary cancer or cancer that runs in the family |
Germline mutation |
Inherited mutation |
Identify |
Look for |
Individuals |
People |
Intervention |
Treatment/Tool/Test |
Mutation carrier |
Person with an inherited mutation |
Pathogenic variant |
Mutation |
Patients who failed treatment |
Patients whose cancer got worse or returned during or after treatment |
Progression free survival |
The amount of time before a patient’s cancer grows or gets worse |
Somatic mutation |
Tumor mutation or acquired mutation |
Subjects |
Participants |
Treatment arm |
Group receiving treatment |
Trial |
Study |