Publication - Consultation paper
Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer quality performance indicators: consultation review
Formal review and consultation on NHS Scotland's hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP) cancer quality performance indicators (QPIs).
Appendix 7: Glossary of Terms
| Abdominal ultrasound | An imaging procedure used to examine the internal organs of the abdomen. |
| Ablative therapies | See Cryotherapy and Radiofrequency Ablation |
| Active treatment | Treatment which is intended to improve the cancer and/or alleviate symptoms, as opposed to supportive care. |
| Adenocarcinoma | Cancer that begins in cells that line certain internal organs and that have gland-like properties. |
| Adjuvant Chemotherapy | The use of chemotherapy, after initial treatment by surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence of the cancer. |
| AFP (Alpha-fetoprotein) | A protein normally produced by a foetus. AFP levels are usually undetectable in the blood of healthy adult men or women (who are not pregnant). An elevated level of AFP suggests the presence of either a primary liver cancer or germ cell tumour. |
| Biliary tract | The organs and ducts that make and store bile (a fluid made by the liver that helps digest fat), and release it into the small intestine. The biliary tract includes the gallbladder and bile ducts inside and outside the liver. Also called biliary system. |
| Biopsy | Removal of a sample of tissue from the body to assist in diagnosis of a disease. |
| Brush Cytology | Examination of cells obtained from a mucosal surface using a cytological brush |
| Chemotherapy | The use of drugs that kill cancer cells, or prevent or slow their growth. |
| Childs Pugh | Is used to assess the prognosis of chronic liver disease, mainly cirrhosis. Although it was originally used to predict mortality during surgery, it is now used to determine the prognosis, as well as the required strength of treatment and the necessity of liver transplantation. |
| Chronic liver disease | Chronic liver disease in the clinical context is a disease process of the liver that involves a process of progressive destruction and regeneration of the liver parenchyma leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis. |
| Co-morbidity | The condition of having two or more diseases at the same time. |
| Computerised Tomography ( CT) | An x-ray imaging technique, which allows detailed investigation of the internal organ of the body. |
| Cryotherapy | A treatment which aims to eradicate cancer by freezing. |
| Curative treatment | Treatment which is given with the aim of curing the cancer. |
| Cytological | The study of the structure and function of cells under the microscope, and of their abnormalities. |
| Diagnosis | The process of identifying a disease, such as cancer, from its signs and symptoms. |
| Duodenal | Refers to the duodenum, or the first part of the small intestine. |
| Dysplastic nodules | Abnormal development or growth of tissues, organs, or cells. |
| Endoscopic Ultrasound ( EUS) | A procedure in which an endoscope is inserted into the body. A probe at the end of the endoscope is used to bounce high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) off internal organs to make a picture. |
| Hepatocellular Carcinoma ( HCC) | A type of adenocarcinoma and the most common type of liver tumour. |
| Hepatopancreatobiliary ( HPB) Cancer | Cancer of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and biliary tract. |
| Histological/ histopathological | The study of the structure, composition and function of tissues under the microscope, and their abnormalities |
| Immunohistochemistry ( IHC) | A technique used to identify specific molecules in different kinds of tissue. The tissue is treated with antibodies that bind the specific molecule. These are made visible under a microscope by using a colour reaction, a radioisotope, colloidal gold, or a fluorescent dye. Immunohistochemistry is used to help diagnose diseases, such as cancer, and to detect the presence of micro organisms. It is also used in basic research to understand how cells grow and differentiate (become more specialised). |
| Inoperable | Describes a condition that cannot be treated by surgery. |
| Lesion | Tumour, mass, or other abnormality. |
| Liver | A large organ located in the upper abdomen. The liver cleanses the blood and aids in digestion by secreting bile. |
| Liver damage stages A and B | See Childs Pugh |
| Liver transplantation | Liver transplantation is a surgery that removes a diseased liver and replaces it with a healthy donor liver. |
| Lymph nodes | Small bean shaped organs located along the lymphatic system. Nodes filter bacteria or cancer cells that might travel through the lymphatic system. |
| Malignancy | Cancerous. Malignant cells can invade and destroy the tissue from which they originate and can spread to other sites in the body. |
| Metastatic | Spread of cancer away from the primary site to somewhere else via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. |
| Milan Criteria | Criteria applied as a basis for selecting patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma for liver transplantation. |
| 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 ( 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. |
| Orthotopic | Refers to something that occurs in the normal or usual place in the body. It is often used to describe tissue or an organ that is transplanted into its normal place in the body. |
| Palliative treatment | Anything which serves to alleviate symptoms due to the underlying cancer but is not expected to cure it. |
| Pancreas/Pancreatic | A glandular organ located in the abdomen. It makes pancreatic juices, which contain enzymes that aid in digestion, and it produces several hormones, including insulin. The pancreas is surrounded by the stomach, intestines, and other organs. |
| Pancreatitis | Inflammation of the pancreas. |
| Performance status | A measure of how well a patient is able to perform ordinary tasks and carry out daily activities. ( PS WHO score of 0=asymptomatic, 4=bedridden). |
| Prognosis | An assessment of the expected future course and outcome of a person's disease. |
| R0 resection | A surgical procedure where the surgical margins are negative for cancer. |
| R1 resection | A surgical procedure where there are positive microscopic surgical margins. |
| Radio Frequency Ablation ( RFA) | A procedure that uses radio waves to heat and destroy abnormal cells. |
| Resection | See surgical resection |
| Scottish Liver Transplant Unit ( SLTU) | The Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit ( SLTU) is funded to provide liver transplant services to the people of Scotland. |
| 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. |
| Surgical resection | Surgical removal of the tumour/lesion. |
| 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. |
| Systemic Anti Cancer Therapy ( SACT) | Treatment of cancer using drugs which induce a reduction in tumour cell population, for example cancer chemotherapy or hormone therapy. |
| Trans-arterial Chemoembolisation ( TACE) | Administration of chemotherapy directly to the liver tumour via a catheter. With this technique, the chemotherapy targets the tumour while sparing the patient many side effects of traditional chemotherapy that is given to the whole body |
| Tumour size | The size of a cancer measured by the amount of space taken up by the tumour. |
| Well-differentiated | Cancer in which the cells are mature and look like cells in the tissue from it arose. Differentiated cancers tend to be decidedly less aggressive than undifferentiated cancers composed of immature cells. |
| Whipple's resection | A type of surgery used to treat pancreatic cancer. The head of the pancreas, the duodenum, a portion of the stomach, and other nearby tissues are removed. Also called pancreatoduodenectomy. |
Contact
Email: Chris Booth
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