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Macmillan - Cancer information Category: Health and Medicine > Cancer terms Date & country: 28/01/2011, UK Words: 355

Screening
Screening is a way of looking for early signs of cancer, or for body changes that might develop into cancer if left untreated. See screening section.

Second degree relatives
see relatives

Secondary health care
After a referral from a GP or other primary health care professional, the care provided by medical specialists or hospital staff.

Secondary tumour
If cancer cells get into the lymphatic system or bloodstream they may travel to other parts of the body and start growing there. These cancers are called secondary cancers or metastases.

Selectron
A type of machine used to give radiotherapy from inside the body.

Seminoma
A type of testicular cancer. See testicular cancer section.

Sigmoid colon
The S-shaped lower end of the colon, which leads down to the rectum.

Sigmoidoscope
A long, flexible instrument used in a sigmoidoscopy examination. See sigmoidoscopy section.

Sigmoidoscopy
A test to examine the left side of the bowel with a long, flexible instrument called a sigmoidoscope. See sigmoidoscopy section.

Small cell lung cancer
One of the main types of lung cancer. About one in five lung cancer patients have this type. See lung cancer section.

Sperm banking
A way of freezing and storing male sperm. Some cancer patients are offered sperm banking, if their treatment may make them infertile. The sperm can then be used later on, in case the patient and his partner would like to start a family.

SPF
Sun Protection Factor. A world-wide rating system for measuring the amount of protection from ultraviolet radiation that a sun lotion gives.

Splenectomy
An operation to remove the spleen.

Squamous cell carcinoma
Cancer that starts in the squamous cells. It is one of the more common types of skin cancer. It can also develop in internal parts of the body like the oesophagus or the cervix.

Squamous cells
Flat scaly skin cells that make up most of the epidermis, the outer layer of our skin. They also cover the internal linings of the hollow organs of the body, and the breathing and digestive tubes.

Stage
Doctors classify cancer according to its stage. This means whether it has spread and, if so, how much. Information about spread is used to help plan a patient's treatment.

Stem cell transplant
A way of giving healthy bone marrow cells back to a patient after high dose chemotherapy treatment. A special machine is used to remove stem cells from the blood. These are stored and given back to the patient through a drip, after the chemotherapy.

Stent
A tube that is placed in a body organ to keep it open. For example, a stent could be put into a blocked bile duct or an airway or the gullet.

Stoma
A small, mouth-like, opening on the abdomen, made by surgery to bring a tube (such as an intestine) to the surface of the body. A stoma may be a temporary or permanent new route for bodily waste to leave the body.

Stoma care nurse
a specially trained nurse who knows how to manage and care for all types of stomas.

Stridor
A high-pitched sound made when breathing. It is caused by the narrowing of the airway.

TBI
TBI stands for total body irradiation. Radiation is sometimes used to kill bone marrow cells, before a bone marrow transplant. This type of radiotherapy procedure is called TBI. See TBI section.

TCC
TCC stands for transitional cell carcinoma. It cancer of the bladder, ureters and urethra.

Terminal illness
An illness that cannot be cured, and is at an advanced stage.

Tertiary health care
A dedicated medical centre providing specialist care, services and facilities (usually on request from primary or secondary care).

Testicular cancer
A cancer of the sperm-producing cells of the testicle. There are two main types - seminomas and non-seminomas. See testicular cancer section.

Third degree relatives
see relatives

Thyroidectomy
An operation to remove the thyroid gland.

Total body irradiation (TBI)
Radiation is sometimes used to kill bone marrow cells, before a bone marrow transplant. This type of radiotherapy procedure is called TBI. See TBI section.

Trachea
The tube that leads from the larynx (voice box) to the lungs. Another name for it is the windpipe.

Tracheostomy
A surgical operation in which a hole (stoma) is made into the windpipe at the front of the neck. It may be temporary or permanent. It is done to aid breathing when there is a blockage.

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC)
A cancer of the bladder, ureters and urethra.

Tumour
An abnormal swelling or growth. A tumour may be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous).

Ultrasound scan
A test that uses sound waves to make a picture of the inside of part of the body. See ultrasound scan section.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV rays)
Invisible light rays from the sun. UV-A and UV-B penetrate the Earth`s atmosphere, and cause the skin to age, and to tan or burn. This damage can lead to skin cancer.

Unknown primary tumour
Sometimes cancer is found in the body, but doctors can't work out where it first started to grow. This type of cancer may sometimes be called unknown primary tumour.

Ureter
The tube that leads from the kidney to the bladder.

Urethra
The tube leading from the bladder to the outside of the body. Urine passes through this tube.

Urologist
A doctor who specialises in treating diseases of the urinary tract.

Urostomy
If your bladder is removed, you will need a new way of collecting urine. One way is through a urostomy. The surgeon makes an opening (stoma) on the wall of the abdomen. A bag can be fixed around the opening to collect the urine.

Uterus
Another name for the womb. The uterus is a body organ found in a woman's pelvis, above the vagina. It is where a woman's egg, fertilised by male sperm, grows into a baby. There are different types of cancer of the uterus. The most common type - endometrial - starts in the lining of the uterus. See cancer of the uterus section.

Vaccination
A way of producing immunity to a disease by using a vaccine or other preparation to stimulate the body to produce antibodies against the disease. It is usually given by injection, but it may be introduced through scratches into the skin or as a drug taken by mouth. It is also called inoculation.

Vaccine
A medicine made from a bacteria, a virus or a poison. It is specially prepared to avoid harm, but to a strength that will stimulate the body to produce cells (antibodies) that will attack the disease (active immunity).

Vagina
The tube leading from the cervix (neck of the womb) to the outside of a woman's body. It may also be called the front passage, or birth canal.

VIN
VIN stands for vulval intraepithelial neoplasia, which is a skin condition of the vulva. Some types of VIN may become cancerous if left untreated. See cancer of the vulva section.

Vulva
The name given to the whole area of skin around the opening of the vagina. See cancer of the vulva section.

Vulvectomy
An operation to remove the vulva. See cancer of the vulva section.

Wedge resection of the lung
An operation to remove a small part of the lung. See lung cancer section.

Whipple's operation
An operation to remove part of the pancreas, part of the stomach, the duodenum, the gall bladder and part of the bile duct. Another name for it is pancreaticoduodenectomy. Sometimes the doctor may be able to operate without removing any of the stomach. This is called a pylorus-preserving Whipple's. See cancer of the pancreas section.

Wide local excision (WLE)
An operation to remove cancer and (for extra safety) some of the healthy tissue around it.

Wilm's tumour
A rare kidney cancer that mainly affects children.

Windpipe
The tube that leads from the larynx (voice box) to the lungs. Another name for it is the trachea.

Wire loop biopsy of the cervix
A way of removing abnormal cells from the cervix (neck of the womb).

WLE
WLE stands for wide local excision. It is an operation to remove cancer and (for extra safety) some of the healthy tissue around it.

Womb
Another name for the uterus. The uterus is a body organ found in a woman's pelvis, above the vagina. It is where a woman's egg, fertilised by male sperm, grows into a baby. There are different types of cancer of the uterus. The most common type - endometrial - starts in the lining of the uterus. See cancer of the uterus section.