Cancer care - ovarian cancer quality performance indicators review: consultation

Appendix 5: Glossary of Terms

Abdomen - The abdomen contains the stomach, liver, kidneys, bladder, in women it also contains the ovaries and uterus

Bilateral - Affecting both the right and left sides of the body.

Bilateral Salpingo–oophorectomy(BSO) -The term used to describe the removal of both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.

Biopsy - Removal of a sample of tissue from the body to assist in diagnosis of a disease.

BRCA1and BRCA2 mutation (breast cancer susceptibility gene 2) - (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1)Specific genetic markers identifying an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

CA125 (cancer antigen 125 or carbohydrate antigen 125) - The most frequently used biomarker for ovarian cancer. The CA125 tumour marker or biomarker detection that may be elevated in the blood of some patients with ovarian cancer.

Carcinoma - Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.

Chemotherapy - The use of drugs that kill cancer cells, or prevent or slow their growth.

Computed Tomography (CT) - An x-ray imaging technique, which allows detailed investigation of the internal organ of the body.

Contraindication/Contraindicated - A symptom or medical condition that makes a particular treatment or procedure inadvisable because a person is likely to have a bad reaction.

Cytological/Cytopathological - The study of the structure and function of cells under the microscope, and of their abnormalities.

Cytoreduction - A decrease in number of cells, as in a tumour.

Cytotoxic Treatment - Toxic to cells. This term is used to describe drugs which kill cancer cells or slow their growth.

Diagnosis/Diagnosed - The process of identifying a disease, such as cancer, from its signs and symptoms.

Elective/Elective Surgical Procedure - An elective procedure is one that is chosen by the patient or doctor that is advantageous to the patient but is not urgent.

Emergency Surgery - Unscheduled surgery performed promptly and often for lifesaving purposes.

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer - A disease in which malignant cancer cells form in the tissue covering the ovary.

Fallopian Tube - Also known as uterine tube or oviduct, either of a pair of long narrow ducts located in the female abdomen.

FIGO Stage - An international system of staging is used, and identifies the spread of the ovarian cancer at the point of diagnosis.

First-line/Primary treatment - Initial treatment used to reduce or treat a cancer.

Histological/Histopathogical/Histology - The study of the structure, composition and function of tissues under the microscope, and their abnormalities.

Invasive - Cancer that can or has spread from its histological original site.

Lesion - Tumour, mass, or other abnormality.

Locally advanced - Cancer that has spread from where it started to nearby tissue or lymph nodes.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer is used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures can show the difference between normal and diseased tissue.

Malignant - Cancerous. Malignant cells can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

Metastases / Metastatic disease - Spread of cancer away from the primary site to somewhere else via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Metastatic disease can be local (close to the area where the cancer is) or distant (in another area of the body).

Morbidity - How much ill health a particular condition causes.

Morphology - The science of the form and structure of organisms (plants, animals, and other forms of life).

Mortality - Either (1) the condition of being subject to death; or (2) the death rate, which reflects the number of deaths per unit of population in any specific region, age group, disease or other classification, usually expressed as deaths per 1000, 10,000 or 100,000.

Multi-disciplinary team meeting (MDT) - A meeting which is held on a regular basis, which is made up of participants from various disciplines appropriate to the disease area, where diagnosis, management, and appropriate treatment of patients is discussed and decided.

National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) - An independent organisation responsible for providing NHS England with guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health.

Neoadjuvant therapy/treatment - Drug treatment which is given before the treatment of a primary tumour with the aim of improving the results of surgery and preventing the development of metastases.

Omentum - A double layer of peritoneum attached to the stomach and linking it with other abdominal organs, such as the liver, spleen and intestine.

Omentectomy - The removal of all or part of the omentum.

Palliative - Anything which serves to alleviate symptoms due to the underlying cancer but is not expected to cure it.

Pathological - The study of disease processes with the aim of understanding their nature and causes. This is achieved by observing samples of fluid and tissues obtained from the living patient by various methods, or at post mortem.

Pathologist - A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

Pelvic/Pelvis - Having to do with the pelvis (the lower part of the abdomen located between the hip bones).

Percutaneous - Access to inner organs or tissue is carried out via ‘needle puncture’ to the skin rather than an open procedure.

Primary Tumour - The original tumour.

Prognosis - An assessment of the expected future course and outcome of a person’s disease.

Prognostic indicators - Factors, such as staging, tumour type or deprivation that may influence treatment effectiveness and outcomes.

Progression - In medicine, the course of a disease, such as cancer, as it becomes worse or spreads in the body.

Prophylactic - To prevent the occurrence of disease.

Randomised Clinical Trials - A study to test a specific drug or other treatment in which people are randomly assigned to two (or more) groups: one (the experimental group) receiving the treatment that is being tested, and the other (the comparison or control group) receiving an alternative treatment, a placebo (dummy treatment) or no treatment. The two groups are followed up to compare differences in outcomes to see how effective the experimental treatment was. (Through randomisation, the groups should be similar in all aspects apart from the treatment they receive during the study.)

Resectable - Able to be removed (resected) by surgery.

Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI I) - RMI score derived from measure of serum CA125, ultrasound imaging and menopausal status RMI I = U x M x CA125

Risk Factor - Something that is known to increase your chances of getting a disease.

Staging - Process of describing to what degree cancer has spread from its original site to another part of the body. Staging involves clinical, surgical and pathology assessments.

Surgery/Surgical resection - Surgical removal of the tumour/lesion.

Surgical intervention - A surgical measure with the purpose of improving health or altering the course of disease.

Survival - The percentage of people in a study or treatment group who are alive for a certain period of time after they were diagnosed with or treated for a disease, such as cancer.

Symptomatic - Having to do with symptoms, which are signs of a condition or disease.

Systemic Anti Cancer Therapy (SACT) - Treatment of cancer using drugs which prevent the replication or growth of cancer cells. This encompasses biological therapies and cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Taxanes - A type of chemotherapy agent which includes paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Total Abdominal Hysterectomy (TAH) - A total abdominal hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb (uterus) through an incision in the tummy known as a laparotomy.

Toxicity - The extent to which something is poisonous or harmful.

Treatment Intent - The reason for which treatment is given, that is, whether the treatment is intended to cure the disease or to alleviate symptoms.

Tumour size - The size of a cancer measured by the amount of space taken up by the tumour.

ug/l - Micrograms per litre.

Ultrasound - An imaging test that bounces sound waves off tissues and converts the echoes into pictures.