Adenocarcinoma: A cancer originating in glandular tissue. Prostate cancer is classified as adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Adjuvant: An additional treatment used to increase the effectiveness of the primary therapy. Radiation therapy and hormonal therapy are often used as adjuvant treatments following a radical prostatectomy.

Algorithm: A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end, especially by a computer.

Analogue: A man-made chemical compound that is structurally similar to one produced naturally by the body. See LHRH analogues.

Androgen: A hormone that produces male characteristics. See testosterone.

Androgen deprivation therapy: A therapy designed to inhibit the body's production of testosterones.

Anaesthetic: A drug that produces general or local loss of physical sensations, particularly pain. A "spinal" is the injection of a local anaesthetic into the area surrounding the spinal cord.

Antiandrogen: A drug that blocks the activity of androgens produced by the adrenal glands at the cellular receptor sites.

Antioxidents: Any substances which delay the process of oxidation in the body.

Antibody: A protein produced by the body that counteracts the toxic effects of a foreign substance, organism, or disease within the body.

Apoptosis: The normal molecular mechanism which governs the life span of cells so that they die in a very organised way. Cancerous cells are resistant to normal apoptosis.

Benign: A non-cancerous condition. See also Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy.

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: Also Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH. A non-cancerous condition of the prostate that results in a growth of tumourous tissue and increase in the size of the prostate.

Biopsy: A procedure involving the removal of tissue from the body of the patient. Removed tissue is typically examined microscopically by a pathologist in order to make a precise diagnosis of the patient's condition.

Bone scan: An imaging technique used to detect bone metastases, which appear as "hot spots" on the film. It is far more sensitive than the conventional x-ray.

BPH: See Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy.

Brachytherapy: A form of radiation therapy in which radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate to deliver radiation directly to the tumour.

Cancer: A cellular malignancy typically forming tumours. Unlike benign tumours, these tend to invade surrounding tissues and spread to distant sites of the body.

Carcinoma: A malignant tumour made up chiefly of epithelial cells, or those cells that form the lining of an organ or cavity. See Adenocarcinoma.

Castrate Range: The level of the body's testosterone after orchiectomy. This is the range or level, which is used by physicians as a point of comparison for those drugs, which attempt to decrease the testosterone level.

CAT Scan (or CT Scan): See computer tomography.

Chemotherapy: The treatment of cancer using chemicals that deter the growth of cancer cells.

Combination Therapy: A form of hormonal therapy that surgically or chemically blocks the production of testosterone by the testes, and involves the additional use of an antiandrogen to block the receptor sites from utilising testosterone produced by the adrenal glands. Combination Therapy can also refer more generally to any combination of treatment modalities used to treat prostate cancer.

Computer Tomography: Computer generated cross-sectional images of a portion of the body. Also called CT or CAT scan.

Conformal: A treatment conforming precisely to the size and shape of the prostate, with the use of computerised planning and state-of-the-art imaging techniques.

Cryosurgery: The freezing of tissue with the use of liquid nitrogen or Argon gas probes. When used to treat prostate cancer, the cryoprobes are guided by transrectal ultrasound.

DHT (dihydrotestosterone): The active form of the male hormone, testosterone, produced after testosterone is transformed by an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase.

Diagnosis: Evaluation of a patient's symptons and/or test results, with the intent of identifying and verifying the existence of any underlying disease or abnormal condition.

Digital Rectal Examination (DRE): A procedure in which the physician inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to examine the prostate gland for signs of cancer.

Doppler Ultrasound Technique: A machine that sends out ultrasonic waves that pick up the velocity of blood flow through the veins and are transmitted as sound to make an image.

Ejaculatory Ducts: The tubular passages through which semen reaches the prostatic urethra during orgasm.

Erectile Dysfunction (also referred to as ED): See impotence.

Estrogen: A female sex hormone used as a form of therapy to inhibit the production of testosterone in patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Extracapsular Extension: Used to describe prostate cancer, which has spread outside the prostate gland.

False Negative: An erroneous negative test result. For example, an imaging test that fails to show the presence of a cancer tumour later found by biopsy to be present in the patient is said to have returned a false negative result.

False Positive: A positive test result mistakenly identifying a state or condition that does not in fact exist.

Foley Catheter: A catheter inserted in the penis and threaded through the urethra to the bladder where it is help in place with a tiny, inflated balloon. It removes urine from the bladder and can be used to irrigate the urethra and prevent blood clots.

Frozen Section: A technique in which removed tissue is frozen, cut into thin slices, and stained for microscopic examination. A pathologist can rapidly complete a frozen section analysis, and for this reason is it commonly used during surgery to quickly provide the surgeon with vital information.

Gland: An aggregation of cells that secretes a substance for use or discharge from the body.

Gleason Score: A widely used method for classifying the cellular differentiation of cancerous tissue. The less the cancerous cells appear like normal cells, the more malignant the cancer. Two grades of 1-5, identifying the two most common degrees of differentiation present in the examined tissue sample, are added together to produce the Gleason score.

Gynecomastia: A side effect of some forms of hormonal therapy, involving breast growth and tenderness.

Hormonal therapy: Cancer treatment involving the blockage of hormone production by surgical or chemical means. Because prostate cancer is usually dependent on male hormones to grow, hormonal therapy can be an effective means of alleviating symptoms and retarding the development of the disease.

Hot Flash: A side effect of some forms of hormonal therapy, experienced as a sudden rush of warmth to the face, neck, and upper body.

Impotence: The loss of ability to produce and/or sustain an erection.

Incontinence: A loss of urinary control. There are various kinds and degrees of incontinence. Overflow incontinence is a condition in which the bladder remains full most of the time, resulting in involuntary seepage of urine from the bladder. Stress incontinence is the involuntary discharge of urine when there is increased pressure upon the bladder, as in coughing or straining to life heavy objects. Total incontinence is the failure of ability to voluntarily exercise control over the sphincters of the bladder neck and urethra, resulting in total loss of retentive ability.

Inflammation: redness or swelling caused by injury or infection.

Informed Consent: Permission to proceed given by a patient after being fully informed of the purposes and potential consequences of a medical procedure.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): The most recent state-of-the-art, computer-aided technique for delivering higher doses of radiation more accurately than either conventional External Beam Radiation or Conformal Radiation.

Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP): A test that utilises the infection of a special dye to check for the spread of cancer to the kidneys and bladder.

Investigational: A drug or procedure allowed by the FDA for use in clinical trials.

Laparoscopic Lymphadenectomy: The removal of pelvic lymph nodes with a laparoscope via four small incisions in the lower abdomen.

LH (Luteinising hormone): A chemical signal originating in the pituitary gland that causes the testes to make testosterone.

LHRH Analogues: Synthetic compounds that are chemically similar to Luteinising Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH), used to suppress testicular production of testosterone.

Localised Prostate Cancer: Cancer that is confined to the prostate gland, and therefore considered curable.

Luteinising Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH): A hormone that regulates the production of sex hormones in men and women.

Lymphadenectomy: The removal and examination of lymph nodes to precisely diagnose and stage cancer.

Lymph Node: A small bean-shaped mass of tissue along the vessels of the lymphatic system. The lymph nodes filter out bacteria and other toxins, as well as cancer cells.

Magnetic Resonance Imagine (MRI): A painless, non-invasive technique using strong magnetic fields to produce detailed images of internal body structures. An MRI scan usually takes about 45 minutes.

Malignant: Tending to become progressively worse and to result in death. Having the invasive and metastatic properties of cancer.

Metastasis: The spread of cancer, by way of the blood stream or lymphatic system, beyond the boundaries of the organ or structure where the cancer originated. Metastases is the plural.

Metastatic Work-Up: A group of tests, including bone scans, x-rays, and blood tests, to ascertain whether cancer has metastasized.

Morbidity: Unhealthy consequences and complications resulting from treatment.

Nadir: The lowest point. Doctors sometimes use this as a verb to describe return of cancer or treatment failure.

Neurovascular Bundles: Strands of interwoven nerves and veins that run down the side of the prostate. The bundles contain microscopic nerves that are essential for erection; they also contain arteries and veins. Cutting the nerves in the bundles during surgery, or otherwise harming them in another procedure, usually renders the patient impotent.

Oestrogen: A female sex hormone used as a form of therapy to inhibit the production of testosterone in patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Oncology: The branch of medical science dealing with tumours. An oncologist is a specialist in the study of cancerour tumours.

Orchiectomy: A simple operation that involves surgical removal of the testicles, which produce most of the body's testosterone.

Palpatory: Capable of being examined by touch or manipulation.

PAP: See Prostatic Acid Phosphatase.

Pathologist: A doctor who specialzes in the examination of cells and tissues removed from the body.

Perineum: The area of the body between the anus and scrotum. A perineal procedure uses this area as the point of entry into the body.

Perineural Invasion: Describing cancer, which has spread from the prostate to the perineum.

Placebo: A sugar pill often taken by participants in a medical study. Patients taking a placebo are compared to patients taking actual medications.

Proctitis: Inflammation of the rectum.

Prognosis: A forecase of the course of a disease and future prospects of the patient.

Progression: A change in the status of the cancer indicating the condition has progressed and worsened.

Prostascint Scan: A method to determine whether or not cancer has spread to distant sites by using monoclonal anibodies. This test is especially helpful with patients who have been on hormonal therapy.

Prostate Capsule: The outer membranous covering of the prostate gland.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA): A blood test that measures a substance manufactured solely by prostate gland cells. An elevated reading indicated an abnormal condition of the prostate gland, either benign or malignant. It is presently the most sensitive tumour marker for the identification and monitoring of prostate cancer.

Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP): An enzyme produced by the prostate that is elevated in many patients when prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate.

PSA: See Prostate Specific Antigen.

Radiation Therapy: Use of high energy rays to kill cancer cells.

Radical Prostatectomy: An operation to remove the entire prostate gland and seminal vesicles.

Radiosensitivity: The degree to which a type of cancer responds to radiation therapy.

Recurrence: Return of the cancer following remission or treatment intended as curative. Local recurrence indicates a return of the cancer at the site of origin. Distant recurrence indicated the appearance of one of more metastases of the disease.

Refractory: A term indicating that the cancer no longer responds to the current therapy. See progression.

Remission: Complete or partial desappearance of the signs and symptoms of the disease. The period during which a disease remains under control, without progressing. Even complete remission does not necessarily indicate cure.

Salvage Treatment: A medical term for "Plan B". It means a patient must undergo another form of treatment because the first therapy was not successful. Salvage therapy does not always work and often has a greater degree of complications.

Saw Palmetto: A nutrient extracted from the saw palmetto shrub, which is considered by some to aid the body's immune system.

Selenium: A non-metallic element thought to be beneficial as a nutrient; it is often included in multivitamin supplements.

Seminal Vesicles: Glands that, like the prostate, support male reproduction. Fluid secreted by these glands regulates the consistency of semen.

Sphincter: A circular muscle which contracts to close an orifice. The urethral sphincter squeezes the urethra shut, providing urinary control.

Staging: The testing process by which the extent and severity of a known cancer is evaluated accoring to an established system of classification. It is used to help determine appropriate therapy.

Testosterone: A male sex hormone chiefly produced by the testicles.

TNM Staging: The most widely used classification system for evaluating the extent of prostate cancer.

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP): A surgical procedure to remove tissue obstructing the urethra. The technique involves the insertion of an instrument called a resectoscope into the penile urethra, and is intended to relieve obstruction of urine flow due to enlargement of the prostate.

Tumour: An excessive growth of cells caused by uncontrolled and disorderly cell replacement. See Benign, Malignant.

TURP: See Tranurethral Resection of the Prostate.

Ultrasound (Transrectal Ultrasonography): A painless, non-invasive diagnostic imaging techique using sound waves to create an echo pattern that reveals the structure of organs and tissues. It does not use x-rays.

Urethra: The tube that carries urine from the bladder and semen from the prostate out of the body through the penis.

Urologist: A physician who specialises in the diagnosis and in the medical and surgical treatment of problems in tne urinary and male reproductive systems.