Medical jargon
Does it sometimes feel like everyone is talking in a foreign language? Medical terms and words are something out of this world, so we have put this page together to try and explain what some of it means!
Allogenic: Tissue from a matched donor (often referred to with bone marrow transfusions)
Alopecia: The technical term for hair loss. Alopecia often occurs as a result of chemotherapy
Anaemia: A condition where there is insufficient red blood cells in the body. It can cause tiredness and fatigue
Anaesthetic: A drug given to a person to stop them feeling pain during a procedure. It can be given as a local anaesthetic to numb the area, or as a general anaesthetic to knock the person out!
Analgesic: A drug that relieves pain
Antibiotics: A drug used to treat or prevent an infection
Antiemetic: A drug that helps control and prevent nausea and vomiting
Arteries: A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
Aspiration: Removing fluid from the body with a needle
Autologous: Tissue from oneself (the reverse of allogenic)
Benign: Non-cancer or non-malignant. Can’t spread to other parts of the body
Bilateral: Means on both sides
Biopsy: The removal of a small sample of tissue from the body which is then viewed under a microscope. It helps in the diagnosis of disease
Blood: Circulates around the body through arteries and veins. It carries all different substances such as food, oxygen and chemicals to the body's cells, and helps to fight infection. Blood consists of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets suspended in a liquid called plasma
Blood count or full blood count (FBC):Different numbers if the types of blood cells in the body
Blood transfusion: Red blood cells given through the IV
Bone marrow: The soft, spongy area in the middle of bones where red and white blood cells and platelets are made
Bone marrow biopsy: The removal of a small amount of bone marrow, usually from the hip
Cancer: A general term for a large group of diseases that have uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells
Carcinoma: Cancer that forms in the tissue at the base of the skin that lines the bodies organs
Catheter: A small tube that can be inserted into the body for removal or injection of fluids
Central line: A catheter placed into a vein in the chest. It is used to give IV fluids and blood products and take blood counts
Chemotherapy: The use of special anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells while doing the least possible damage to normal cells.
Clinical trial: Research that involves patients taking medications that are then studied so that better ways to treat or prevent disease can be found
CT scan: A procedure that takes lots of x-rays of the body from all different angles so that a good picture can be formed
Cytotoxic drugs: Drugs that are given that damage or kill off cancer cells.
Diagnosis: The identification of a persons disease
Donor: The person giving their tissue or organ to another person
External beam irradiation: Common form of radiation treatment
Frozen section: A sample of tissue is taken and then frozen quickly so it can be examined immediately under a microscope
Graft: Healthy tissue is taken from a part of the body or from another person and transplanted to replace diseased or injured tissue.
Haemoglobin: The component of red blood cells that carry oxygen
Haematology: The type of medicine that studies the blood. The doctor that specialises in this is called a haematologist
Hormone: A substance made by a gland that helps to regulate reproduction, metabolism and growth
Immune system: The network of cells and organs that help to defend the body against foreign invaders
Immuno-compromised: Weakening of the immune system often caused by disease or treatment
Infusion: Slow injection of a fluid into a vein or tissue
Intravenous: Giving fluids, drugs or blood directly into a vein
Limb salvage surgery: The original bone or part of the bone is replaced with an artificial (prosthetic) bone or bone from another part of the body
Localised cancer: Cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body
Lymph: A clear fluid that flows through the body carrying cells through the lymphatic system to help fight infection
Lymph nodes: Small bean shaped structures that filter the lymph to remove bacteria and other cells, such as cancer cells
Malignant: Cancerous. A malignant tumour is the same thing and is likely to spread to other parts of the body if left untreated.
Metastasis: A secondary tumour that has spread from the primary site through the lymphatic or blood system
Neutropaenia: An abnormal decrease in the number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell
Oedema: Swelling cause by an accumulation of fluid in the body or tissues
Oncologist: A doctor that specialises in the treatment of cancer
Palliative care: Treatment that focused on relieving the side effects of a disease, but will not cure it
Plasma: The fluid portion of the blood in which cells and platelets are found
Platelets: Part of the blood that stops bleeding by aiding blood clotting
Radiation: Energy in the form of waves that can injure and destroy cells, particularly cancer cells
Red blood cells: Cells that contain haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body
Relapse: The return of the disease after treatment and a time of improvement
Remission: The absence of signs and symptoms of active disease
Staging: A way to identify the extent of disease. It is then used to determine treatment
Stem cells: Immature cells that are in the bone marrow from which blood cells are formed
Survival rate: The percentage of people who are still alive after a particular length of time with a certain disease
Terminal: When a disease cannot be cured
Thrombocytopaenia: A decrease in the number of platelets in the blood, causing blood to take longer to clot
Total body irradiation: Radiotherapy of the whole body, usually given prior to bone marrow transplants
Toxicity: Harmful side effects caused by a drug
Tumour: An abnormal growth in the body
Tumour marker: A substance found in the blood produced by a tumour which can indicate how treatment is working
Veins: A blood vessel that takes blood towards the heart.
White blood cells: Cells in the blood that help to fight infection