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Cancerhelp - glossary Category: Health and Medicine > Cancer Date & country: 11/12/2007, UK Words: 1261

Occupational Therapist
Person trained to help people with any sort of disability manage day to day activities (for example, dressing, cooking etc).

Octreoscan
This is a special type of scan for rare cancers called neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). You have an injection of a very small amount of radioactive material (a radioactive isotope) into a vein in your arm. Then you wait for this to circulate throughout your body and attach to the NET cells. Once the injection has circulated, you have pictures take…

Octreotide
Octreotide is a drug. It acts like somatostatin, a hormone naturally made by the body. Octreotide can control the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. It is also sometimes used to control diarrhoea caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Ocular Melanoma
(Eye Melanoma) Melanoma that has started in the eye. This is very rare. It behaves differently depending on where in the eye it started and how advanced it is when it is diagnosed. It can begin in the iris, the ciliary body, the choroid, the conjunctiva, or the eyelid. Because treatment depends on stage and type, it can vary a great deal from simpl…

Oesophagogastrectomy
Operation to remove the stomach and part of the gullet (oesophagus). See Gastrectomy, Oesophagus.

Oesophagus
(Gullet) Tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Oestrogen
One of the two female sex hormones.

Oestrogen Receptor
(Oestrogen Receptors) Area on the surface of a cancer cell that is triggered by oestrogen. The area on the cell surface is like a lock and oestrogen is the key that fits and turns the lock.

Oestrogen Receptor Negative
Said of a breast cancer. Means that no Oestrogen Receptors have been found on the cancer cells. This may affect the treatment given.

Oestrogen Receptor Positive
Said of a breast cancer. Means that Oestrogen Receptors have been found on the cancer cells. This may affect the treatment given.

Oligodendroglioma
Type of brain tumour. Glioma which develops from cells called oligodendrocytes.

Omega 3 Unsaturated Fatty Acid
Type of fat found in oily fish. This fat may help to reduce the risk of breast and bowel cancer when included in the diet. This may be because of some effect of this acid. Or it may be because people who have a high fish intake eat less meat. Research is ongoing.

Omentectomy
Operation to remove the omentum.

Omentum
Sheet of tissue inside the abdomen. Helps to support the weight of the body organs. Common site of spread of ovarian cancer, so often removed during a hysterectomy for ovarian cancer.

Oncogene
(Oncogenes) Literally means 'cancer gene'. Gene that has become abnormal and tells its cell to multiply continuously.

Oncologist
Doctor who specialises in treating cancer.

Open Radical Cholecystectomy
Operation to remove the gall bladder, about 2.5 cm of liver tissue which is very near the gallbladder and all the lymph nodes near and around the gall bladder. Also known as an extended cholecystectomy

Opioid
A strong, painkilling drug that is similar to endorphins. The body makes endorphins in response to pain. Opioid drugs were originally made from opium poppies and can now be man made in the laboratory. Types of opioid include morphine, fentanyl, diamorphine and codeine.

Optic Nerve
The main nerve that runs from the eye to the brain. Damage to the optic nerve will cause sight problems or blindness.

Oral
(Orally) By mouth.

Orchidectomy
Operation to remove a testicle.

Organ Rejection
After organ transplant (for example, kidney or heart transplant) many people take drugs to stop them rejecting their new organ. These drugs suppress their immune systems and this can make them more at risk for some other diseases, for example, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Orgasm
Sexual climax.

Orphan drugs
These are drugs that are for preventing, diagnosing or treating a life threatening medical condition that affects fewer that 5 out of every 10,000 people in the European Union. The pharmaceutical company would not normally be able to make much profit from these drugs because so few people would need them. So they get incentives, such as having to…

Osteoblasts
Cells found within bones that form the basic structure of the bone (the bone matrix).

Osteochondroma
A benign bone disease (not a cancer).

Osteoclasts
Cells that are responsible for helping bones to maintain their proper shape.

Osteoporosis
Losing calcium from the bones, making them weaker. Often gives a lacy appearance to the bone with holes appearing. Sometimes called bone thinning.

Osteosarcoma
Type of primary bone cancer.

Outpatient
A patient who attends the hospital for an appointment or treatment without staying overnight.

Ovarian Ablation
Using Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy to stop a woman's ovaries from working. This stops the production of sex hormones and is useful in treating cancers which use sex hormones to grow (for example, breast cancer). Will result in an early menopause.

Ovarian Cancer
Cancer of the ovaries.

Ovarian Removal
Also called oophorectomy. Surgery to take out the ovaries. This stops the production of sex hormones and is useful in treating cancers which use sex hormones to grow (for example, breast cancer). Will result in an early menopause.

Ovary
(Ovaries) Glands either side of the womb in women. Produce eggs and the female sex hormones.

Overview
(Overviews) Similar to meta-analyses. Putting together the results of more than one trial.

Overweight
If you are overweight, you weigh more than the maximum healthy weight for your height, but not as much as 40% more (which is classified as clinically obese). Being moderately overweight is not a significant health risk when compared to clinical obesity.

Ovulation
Producing an egg. Normally, one ovary produces an egg each month in non-pregnant women between puberty and menopause.

OVX1
Marker for some cases of ovarian cancer.

Oxygen
Gas that makes up one fifth of the air we breathe. Oxygen is essential for life.

Pacemaker
A small electronic device that can be implanted in the chest to help the heart beat regularly. If you have a pacemaker, you cannot have an MRI scan as these scans are magnetic and can interfere with how your pacemaker works.

Paget's disease
There are 2 different diseases that are called Paget's disease. One affects the skin around the nipple of the breast and looks a little like ezcema. It is mostly (but not always) a sign that there is a breast cancer in the area underneath.

Pain Clinic
Clinic that specialises in treating chronic pain (pain that goes on for a long time and is unlikely to be cured altogether). Usually run by an anaesthetist, sometimes with a doctor who specialises in palliative care.

Pain Killers
(Analgesia, Analgesics) Drugs to control pain.

Palliation
Treatment which is given to control symptoms rather than cure disease - for example, palliative radiotherapy can be given to reduce pain.

Palliative Care
The active total care of patients whose illness cannot be cured. It includes control of pain, of other symptoms and of psychological, social and spiritual problems.

Palliative Treatment
Treatment given to control symptoms such as pain and sickness, rather than to cure.

Palpitations
Being aware of your heart beating strongly. This can be a sign of anxiety or symptom of illness.

Pancoast Tumour
Name for a lung cancer that is found in a particular part of the lung. A pancoast tumour is found at the very top of the lung. It can cause particular symptoms because of where it is. It is quite common to get pain, numbness or pins and needles in the shoulder and arm because the tumour is pressing on the group of nerves at the top of the arm (call…

Pancreas
Organ of the digestive system that makes insulin and some of the enzymes needed for digesting food.

Pancreatectomy
Operation to remove the pancreas.

Pancreatic Duct
Duct which carries the pancreatic digestive juices form the pancreas to the small intestine.

Pancreatitis
Inflammation of the pancreas. Chronic (long term) pancreatitis can be a cause of cancer of the pancreas.

Pancreatoduodenectomy
(Whipple's) Also called Whipple's operation. This is the commonest operation for cancer of the pancreas. Half the pancreas is removed along with the duodenum, part of the stomach, the gall bladder and the bile duct.

Panendoscopy
Examination of the voice box (larynx), back of the throat (hypopharynx) and food pipe (oesophagus) with a long rigid tube (panendoscope). You have this done under anaesthetic. The panendoscope has a camera and light inside it, so your doctor can see the inside of your nose and throat very clearly.

Papillary Bladder Cancer
Type of bladder cancer. Papillary bladder cancers are growths on the surface of the bladder lining. They are usually easy to remove, but can sometimes grow back.

Paracentesis
(Abdominal Paracentesis) Medical procedure to remove unwanted fluid. Abdominal paracentesis involves having a needle put into the abdomen. The needle is attached to a tube and a collecting bag. Fluid that has collected inside the abdomen (ascites) can then be drained away into the bag. See Abdomen, Ascites.

Paracetamol
A mild painkiller that can be bought over the counter from chemists. Paracetamol can also help bring down your temperature if you have a fever. You should never take more than eight tablets in 24 hours and should not take paracetamol without talking to your doctor if you have any liver problems.

Parenteral Nutrition
(Liquid Nutrition) This is complete liquid food that is given through a drip into a vein. It can be used when someone is having very intensive treatment and is losing a lot of weight. It can be helpful when you are having difficulty eating because of a very sore mouth, bad diarrhoea or sickness.

Partial Cystectomy
Operation to remove part of the bladder. It is not often possible to do this operation to treat bladder cancer because of the risk of the cancer coming back. More commonly, the whole bladder is removed.

Partial laryngectomy
Surgery to remove part of the voice box (larynx). One vocal cord will be left and you will still be able to speak.

Partial Response
To a researcher, this means the cancer shrinking to at least half the original size for at least four weeks. There must not be any sign of growth of the cancer anywhere else in the body.

Passive Smoking
Means breathing in other people's cigarette, pipe or cigar smoke when you don't smoke yourself. Passive smoking can cause lung cancer in people who don't smoke. Often affects people who work in very smoky atmospheres such as pubs and clubs. But they are still much less likely to get lung cancer than people who do smoke.

Pathological Fracture
Broken bone which has happened because the bone is weakened by disease (for example, secondary cancer).

Pathologist
An expert who examines cells and identifies them. The pathologist can tell where a cell comes from in the body and whether it is normal or a cancer cell. If it is a cancer cell, the pathologist can often tell what type of body cell the cancer developed from.

Peau D'Orange
Used to describe a particular type of dimpling of the skin of the breast which can be a warning sign of breast cancer. This phrase is used because the dimples can make the skin look a bit like the skin of an orange.

Peer review
Your peers are those with a similar level of experience and knowledge as you. Peer review is a system for researchers and doctors to look at each other's work and make sure that research papers submitted for publication in medical and scientific journals are of adequate quality.

Pelvic Examination
Examination of the pelvis for signs of disease. The doctor presses on the outside of the pelvis to feel for any lumps or other abnormalities. Then the doctor examines the inside of the vagina and cervix.

Pelvic Exenteration
Radical surgery to remove the major organs of the pelvis. Can be done for recurrent or widespread cervical cancer in the pelvis if the patient is fit enough for the operation. Can result in a colostomy and a urostomy. Aim is to at least slow the cancer down or may actually cure the cancer in some cases.

Pelvic Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy treatment given to the pelvis.

Pelvis
Lower cavity of the body, contained inside the hip bones. The pelvis contains the pelvic organs - the bladder and lower bowel and the reproductive organs.

Penile Implant
Surgical treatment for impotence. Rod put inside the penis to stiffen it in men who cannot get an erection.

Pepsin
Enzyme secreted by cells in the lining of the stomach which digests protein. See Enzyme.

Peptic Ulcer
Damage to the lining of the gullet (oesophagus), stomach or duodenum caused by exposure to the enzymes in gastric juice. Having a peptic ulcer may increase the risk of stomach cancer. See Digestion, Duodenum, Enzyme, Oesophagus.

Performance status
A way of describing how much you are able to do. The most common is the World Health Organisation scale. It rates fully active as 0 and bedridden as 4.

Pericardium
The smooth sheet of body tissue that surrounds the heart.

Peritoneal
Of the peritoneum. So, peritoneal cancer is cancer of the sheet of body tissue (the peritoneum) that lines the abdominal cavity and covers the organs inside it.

Peritonectomy
An operation to remove part of the peritoneum.

Peritoneum
The sheet of body tissue that lines the abdominal cavity and covers the organs contained within it.

Permanent Colostomy
Opening of the bowel onto the surface of the abdomen (tummy). A bag is worn to collect the waste matter from digestion that would normally be passed from the body as a bowel motion. This operation cannot be reversed. Often the rectum is removed and the anus is closed up by the surgeon.

Pernicious Anaemia
Type of anaemia caused by reduced ability to absorb vitamin B12 in the stomach. Having pernicious anaemia may increase the risk of stomach cancer. See Anaemia, vitamin B12.

Pesticide
Chemical that is used to kill insects and other pests that attack growing crops. Some pesticides have been thought to increase the risk of developing some cancers.

PET scan
Stands for Positron Emission Tomography. A type of scan that uses a low dose radioactive tracer to find abnormalities in the body. PET scans are sometimes used to help diagnose cancer. There is more about PET scans in About Cancer Tests.

PET-CT scan
This is a new scan and is a combination of a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan and a CT (Computerised Tomography) scan. PET scans show up cancer cells. CT scans give a clear picture of the inside of the body. Doing the two scans together may give the doctors a more detailed picture. There is more information about PET scans, CT scans and …

Petechia
A small red or purple spot just under the skin, caused by blood leaking from a small broken blood vessel. People whose blood is not clotting properly may have many petechia in an area of the body. Looks like a rash of tiny red dots and is sometimes called pinprick bleeds or a purpural rash.

Peutz Jeghers syndrome
A rare inherited disease that causes benign (non cancerous) polyps to form in the bowel. It can also cause dark coloured spots inside the mouth and around the lips, eyes and nose. People with Peutz Jeghers syndrome have an increased risk of developing cancer, including cancers of the breast, bowel, pancreas, stomach and ovary.

Pharmacodynamics
Looking at how a drug works and the effect it has on your body.

Pharmacogenetics
Testing how genes affect the way people respond to a drug and the side effects they have.

Pharmacokinetics
Looking at what happens to a drug in the body. It includes how the body absorbs the drug, how the drug gets to different parts of the body and how the body breaks down and gets rid of the drug.

Pharynx
Area at the back of the mouth and nose that connects them to the oesophagus (gullet).

Phase
Distinct stage in a process. There are three phases of research in clinical trials - phase 1, 2, 3 and 4 trials.

Phase 1 Trial
Early trial into a new treatment to find out the side effects and some idea of the dose to give. Likely to include patients with different types of cancer.

Phase 2 Trial
Trial that looks at whether a new treatment works. Usually for a particular type of cancer.

Phase 3 Trial
Trial to compare a new treatment with other treatments that are already being used. Looks at the safety and side effects of the treatment as well as how well it works.

Phase 4 Trial
Phase 4 trials are done after a drug has been shown to work and has been granted a license. Pharmaceutical companies run them to find out more about the long term risks and benefits. And to find out how the drug works when it is used more widely than in clinical trials.

Philadelphia chromosome
A genetic abnormality found in some types of leukaemia. Some of the DNA from one chromosome (no. 9) moves over to another chromosome (no. 22). This type of genetic fault is called a translocation.

Phlegm
(Sputum) Pronounced 'Flem'. Mucus that is coughed up from the lungs.

Phosphorus
(P32, Radioactive Phosphorus) A radioactive form of phosphorus is used as internal radiotherapy to treat cancers and other diseases of the bone marrow.

Photodynamic Therapy
(PDT) Cancer treatment using light. A drug is given that is inactive until it comes into contact with light. When the drug is concentrated in the cancer cells, laser light is shone at the cancer. The drug is then activated and kills the cancer cells. This type of treatment is being tried for bladder, lung, skin and pancreatic cancers. It is still e…

Physiotherapist
Person who is trained to treat disease by physical methods such as manipulating joints and muscles, massage and heat treatment rather than by using drugs.

Phyto-oestrogens
Substances occurring in plants that have an oestrogen-like effect on the body. Soya beans and soya products contain phyto-oestrogens. There is research going on looking into whether increasing phyto-oestrogens in the diet helps to prevent breast or prostate cancer.