Medical terms explained
Here are some of the words you may come across when cancer is diagnosed or whilst you are being treated. It is not a complete dictionary of medical terms and there may be medical terms you hear which are not listed.
You can always ask a doctor or nurse what a name means if you don’t understand it.
Abdomen, abdominal
A part of the body which includes the stomach, intestines and other digestive organs.
Abnormal
Not normal - possibly cancerous.
Acupuncture
A complementary therapy and system of healing practiced in eastern countries for thousands of years. Fine needles are inserted into ‘energy points’ just below the skin. Used to treat a wide range of illnesses, it may be given to relieve pain and to treat some side effects of cancer.
Adjuvant therapy
A treatment given as well as the main treatment to help reduce the risk of cancer returning. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy can be used as adjuvant therapies.
Anaesthesia, anaesthetics
Drugs or gases given before and during surgery so the patient will not feel pain. The patients may be awake (local anaesthetic) or asleep (general anaesthetic).
Anti-emetic
A medicine (either tablets, injection, drip or a patch) that can help you feel less sick.
Axilla
The armpit.
Benign
A swelling or growth that is not cancerous, does not spread and is usually not life threatening.
Bereavement
The period of grief which follows the death of a loved one.
Biological therapy
Treatment with substances that encourage the body’s natural defence system - the immune system - to attack cancer cells. Also known as immunotherapy.
Biopsy
One of the main tests used to diagnose cancer. A piece of body tissue is removed from the area where there might be cancer and the cells are examined under a microscope. This is one of the tests used to decide whether or not a person has cancer and what type of cancer it is.
Bladder
A muscular sac that is connected to the kidneys above. It holds urine which passes out of the bladder and the body through a tube called the urethra.
Blood cells
Cells that make up the blood. There are three main types - red blood cells (which carry oxygen around the body), white blood cells (which fight invading germs) and platelets (which help the blood to clot).
Blood count
This shows the number of blood cells in the bloodstream.
Bone marrow
The soft and spongy centre of the bone that makes blood cells.
Bone scan
A scan that looks for damage to bone.
Bronchoscopy
A test using a flexible telescope to examine the inside of the lung.
Cancerous
A term used to describe a tumour which has the ability to spread to nearby organs and tissues and to other areas of the body.
Carcinoma
A type of cancer which begins in the lining or covering of an organ.
Cell
The tiny building blocks which make up all living tissue. Cells can reproduce when needed. They have different structures in different parts of the body.
Cervix
Part of a woman’s body found under the womb and above the vagina.
Chemotherapy
Treatment with drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells.
Clavicle
The collarbone.
Clear margin
An area of normal tissue that surround cancerous tissue.
Colon
Part of the bowel.
Colorectum, colorectal
Part of the bowel referring to the large intestine.
Complementary therapies
A wide variety of therapies which work alongside conventional medical treatment and focus on improving a person’s wellbeing, psychologically as well as physically.
Consultant
Most senior doctor.
CT scan
A computerised tomography (CT) scan produces a cross section image of the head and body which is then analysed by a computer.
Diagnosis
Identifying a disease in a person’s body or deciding what is wrong with them.
Duct
A small channel or tube in the body, for example, in the breast through which milk passes from the glands to the nipple.
Endometrium, endometrial
Lining of the womb.
Endoscopy
Looking inside the body through a small fibre optic tube.
Erythrocytes
Red blood cells which carry oxygen from the lungs to cells in all parts of the body and carbon dioxide back from the cells to the lungs.
Fine needle aspiration ( FNA)
A type of biopsy where a very thin needle is put into a tumour and a sample of fluid an cells is sucked out. The cells are looked at under a microscope to see if they are cancerous.
Genes
The coding material in all cells which affects what they are like and how they behave.
Guidelines, guidance
Recommended course of action for a particular illness or stage of an illness that is agreed by a team of experts.
Gynaecology, gynaecological
The study of women’s reproductive organs.
Hickman line
A special tube put in under an anaesthetic through the chest wall into a large vein, so that chemotherapy drugs can go directly into the bloodstream.
High dose chemotherapy
Using high doses of anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells.
Hormones
Natural chemicals in the body which affect the way organs and tissues work.
Hormone receptor tests
Laboratory tests which tell if a cancer depends on hormones for growth.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Treatment for menopausal and post-menopausal women who are given oestrogen by tablet, injection, patch or implant to replace oestrogen that has been lost as a result of the ovaries not working any more.
Hormone therapy
A treatment that is used to try to stop cancer cells growing by removing, blocking or adding to the effects of a hormone.
Hospice
Specialised units providing palliative care, including symptom control and terminal care.
Immune system
The body’s natural defence system against infection or disease.
Immunotherapy
Treatment with substances that encourage the body’s natural defence system - the immune system, against - to attack cancer cells. Also known as biological therapy.
Implant
Something put into the body for a period of time, sometimes permanently.
Inoperable
Refers to a cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.
In situ
The earliest stage of cancer, when it has not spread to any other organ or area of the body.
Intra-muscular
Injection into a muscle.
Intravenous (IV)
Injection into a vein.
Invasive
A cancer which spreads to nearby tissue.
Leukaemia
Cancer of the white blood cells.
Leukocytes
White blood cells that defend the body against infections and other diseases.
Lobe, lobule
Part of an organ or gland in the body.
Lump
A lump that can be felt under the skin may be a sign of cancer but most are not cancerous.
Lumpectomy
Surgically removing a lump and small amount of tissue around it.
Lymphatic system
The system that removes waste from body tissues, filters lymphatic fluid and produces cells that fight infection.
Lymph nodes
Small bean - shaped organs, sometimes called lymph glands, which are part of the lymphatic system.
Lymphocyte
A type of white blood cell which protects against infection.
Lymphoedema
Swelling
in the arms or legs that is caused when lymph vessels are blocked or
damaged. This can be caused by treatments for cancer or by the cancer
itself.
Lymphoma
A cancer of the lymph glands or lymphatic system.
Malignant
Capable of invading, spreading and destroying tissue.
Mammogram
An X-ray picture of the breast.
Mastectomy
Surgically removing the breast.
Meditation
A method of relaxation.
Menopause
When a woman stops having monthly menstrual periods and is no longer able to have children.
Metastasis, metastasise, metastatic
The
spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another through the
bloodstream or lymphatic system. Cells that have metastasised are like
those in the original tumour.
Micro-calcifications
Tiny deposits of calcium that may show that cancer is present.
Monitoring
Regularly checking up to see how a patient is doing or responding to treatment.
MRI scan
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan uses magnets to produce pictures which are then analysed by a computer.
Nausea
Feeling sick.
Node
Part
of the lymphatic system, which is the body’s natural defence against
infection. Lymph nodes are small masses of tissue found in clusters
which purify the lymph fluid and form lymphocytes (white blood cells).
Nutrition
A
healthy diet and the correct intake of vitamins and minerals. This can
be difficult to achieve for some people with cancer and they may need
advice from health professionals.
Oedema
A build up of fluid in part of the body.
Oesophagus, oesophageal
A tube from the mouth to the stomach.
Oestrogen
A female hormone that may result in some breast cancers growing.
Oncology
The study and treatment of cancer.
Orally
Given by mouth.
Ovaries, Ovarian, Ovary
Glands on either side of the womb in women. They produce eggs and the female sex hormones.
Palliative care
Palliative
care is designed to relieve symptoms rather than cure. It can be used
at any stage of the illness if there are symptoms such as pain or
sickness.
Pancreas
An organ in the digestive system that makes insulin and some of the enzymes needed for digesting food.
Pathology
Examining tissues, particularly the changes in cells and tissues resulting from disease.
Peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT)
A procedure in which stem cells are removed from the patient’s blood, stored and then put back into the bloodstream.
Platelets
The blood cells which prevent bleeding by causing blood to clot at the site of an injury.
Primary cancer
Where the cancer first started in the body.
Primary care
Usually
used to refer to health services provided in the community rather than
in hospital (for example, general practice or district nursing).
Prognosis
The predicted or likely outcome of what might happen in a specific case of cancer.
Prostate, prostatic
A gland only found in men, under the bladder. It produces fluid which forms part of semen and helps nourish sperm.
Prosthesis
An artificial replacement of part of the body.
Radiation therapy, radiotherapy
A treatment which uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells or keep them from dividing and growing.
Receptor test
A laboratory test used to work out if a cancer depends on a certain hormone for growth.
Recurrence
The return of cancer cells and signs of cancer after they appear to have gone. Sometimes known as a relapse.
Reflexology
A complementary therapy which can be used as well as medical cancer treatment. It involves massaging areas of the feet.
Regression
When a cancer has shrunk or disappeared.
Remission
A person is said to be ‘in remission’ when their cancer stops growing or shows no symptoms.
Risk factor
Something which increases a person’s chances of getting a disease.
Secondaries, secondary cancer
New
tumours or metastases, which are formed because cancer cells from the
original tumour have been carried to other parts of the body.
Sentinel lymph node
The first lymph nodes that cancer cells spread to after leaving the area of the primary tumour.
Shiatsu
A type of gentle massage which works on the energy flow around the body and can be helpful for stress related conditions.
Silicone
A synthetic gel used in some implants.
Stage
A classification of a cancer according to its size and how much it has spread.
Staging
Working out how much the cancer has spread. It is helpful when deciding on the best treatment options.
Stem cell
The immature cells in blood and bone marrow from which all mature blood cells develop.
Stoma
An artificial opening between an organ and the skin surface. For example, a colostomy is an opening to the colon.
Subcutaneous
Given by injection under the skin.
Surgery
An operation.
Syringe drivers
A
way of giving painkilling or chemotherapy drugs under the skin which
means that patients do not need to have regular injections.
Systemic therapy
Using treatments such as chemotherapy that affect the whole body.
Terminal care
Caring
for a person in the last days or weeks before they die, making sure
they are free of pain and as comfortable as possible.
Therapy
Treatment.
Thoracic
Referring to the chest area.
Tissue
A group of cells.
Tumour
A group of abnormal cells which keep on growing, crowding out normal cells.
Tumour markers
Substances produced by some cancers that can be traced in the blood.
Ultrasound scan
A scan which uses sound waves to build up an image of the internal organs.
X-ray
A high energy form of radiation. It is used in low doses to diagnose diseases and in high doses to treat cancer.
Yoga
A combination of relaxation, breathing techniques and exercise to help deal with stress and improve circulation and movement of the joints.
Page last edited: 06 November 2009
