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Demystifying the language of medicine.
Numeric
Numeric
5-FU 5-Fluorouracil (anti cancer drug)
6-MP 6-Mercaptopurine (anti cancer drug)
6-TG 6-Thioguanine (anti cancer drug)
A
A
ABMT Autologous bone marrow transplant
Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia (ALL)
ADR Adverse Drug Reaction
AE Adverse event
AFP Alphafetoprotein - eg. expressed by germ cell tumours and other cancers
AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
ALAT Alanine aminotransferase / alinine transaminase
ALCL Anaplastic Large-cell Lymphoma
ALL Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
ALT Alanine Aminotransferase
AMKL acute megakaryocytic leukemia
ANC Absolute neutrophil count
ANED Alive no evidence of disease
ANLL Acute non-lymphatic leukaemia
ARMS Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
ASR Age Standardised Rate (Incidence)
AUC Area under the curve
B
B
BAER Brainstem Auditory Evoked Responce
B-ALL B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
BID / BD Twice a day (bis in die)
BM Blood Monitoring (eg for glucose)
BM Bone Marrow
BMJ British Medical Journal
BMR Basal Metabolic Rate
BNF British National Formulary
BP Blood pressure
BRM Biological Response Modifier
BSA Body Surface Area
BSE Breast Self Examination
Bx Biopsy
C
C
C/O Complaining of
C/W Continue With
C1 - C7 Cervical vertebrae (spine eg. C7 = seventh cervical vertebra)
Ca Calcium
Ca Cancer; carcinoma
CAT Computerised axial tomography (scan)
cc Cubic centimeter
CCF Congestive Cardiac Failure
CCR Continuous complete remission
CEA Carcinoembryonic Antigen (tumour marker)
CGH Comparative Genomic Hybridisation - cytogenetics method
CGL Chronic Granulocytic Leukaemia
cGy Centi Gray (unit of radiation)
CHF Congestive heart failure
CLL Chronic lymphocytic Leukaemia
cm centimeter - 0.01 meters
CMML chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
CMV Cytomegalo virus
CNS Central nervous system - the brain and spine
CPM Cyclophosphamide (anti cancer drug)
CPR Cardio pulmonary resuscitation
CR Complete remission / complete response
CRA Clinical Research Associate
CRF Case Report Forms
CRF Chronic renal failure
CRO Contract Research Organisation
CSF Cerebro spinal fluid
CSF Colony-stimulating Factor
CT Computerised axial tumography (scan)
CTC Common Toxicity Criteria
CTCL Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
CTO Clinical Trials Office
CTX Clinical Trials Exemption
CUP Cancer of Unknown Primary / Carcinoma of Unknown Primary
CVA Cardiovascular Accident (stroke)
CVC Central venous catheters
CVP Central Venous Pressure
CXR Chest X-Ray
D
D
D/C Discharge
D/H Drug History
D/W Discussed With
DCIS Ductal Carcinoma In Situ - type of breast cancer
DDAVP Desmopressin test for urine osmolality
DDx Differential diagnosis
DFI Disease Free Interval
DFS Disease Free Survival - time without disease prior to relapse or last follow-up
DI Diabetes Incipidus
dl deciletre - 0.01 litres
DLBCL Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
DLCL Diffuse large-cell lymphoma
DLS Date last seen
DLT Dose limiting toxicity - determined by phase 1 studies
DMC Data Monitoring Commitee
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA Did Not Attend (clinic)
DNR Do Not Resusitate
DOA Dead on Arival
Dx Diagnosis
E
E
EBM Evidence-Based Medicine
EBV Epstein-Barr Virus
ECG Electrocardiogram - heart scan
EDTA ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid - used in measuring kidney function
EEG Electroencephalogram - brain scan
EFS Event Free Survival - time from diagnosis to defined events (eg relapse or death)
EJC European Journal of Cancer
EMC Extraskeletal Myxoid Chondrosarcoma
EMUO Early Morning Urine Osmolality (evaluating urine concentration)
ENT Ear nose throat
ESR Erythrocyte Sedimentation rate
ETS Environmental Tobacco Smoke
F
F
F/H Family history
FAB French American and British classification scheme for leukaemia
FBC Full Blood Count
FEV Forced expectorant volume (a lung test)
FFA For Further Appointment
FIGO Federation Internat. Gyn. Obst. (FIGO Gynaecological staging system)
FISH Flourescence in situ Hybridisation
FMTC Familial Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
FNA Fine Needle Aspiration - a type of biposy using a thin needle (or FNAB)
FU Follow up
FVC Forced Vital Capacity
G
G
GA General Anaesthetic
GCP Good Clinical Practice (guidelines)
G-CSF Granulocyte colony stimulating factor promotes production of white blood cells
GCT Giant Cell Tumour Context: bone tumours
Gestational Trophoblastic Cancer
GFR Gromerular filtration rate
GI Gastrointestinal
GIST Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours
GM-CSF Granulocyte and macrophage colony stimulating factor
GPR Good Partial Remission
gram - unit of weight
GU Genito-urinary
GvHD Graft versus Host Disease
Gy Grays (units of radiation)
H
H
H&E Hematoxylin and Eosin (stain)
H/O History of
Hb Haemoglobin
HCG Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hormone)
HCO3 Bicarbonate
HD High dose
HD Hodgkin's Disease (lymphoma)
HDC High Dose Chemotherapy
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HL-A Human Leukocyte Associated antigens (HL-A matching for BMT)
HNPCC Hereditary NonPolyposis Colorectal Cancer
HNSCC Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Hodgkin's Disease)
HPV Human Papilloma Virus - implicated in some gynacological cancers
HR High risk
HRT Hormone replacement therapy
HTLV Human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus
I
I
I-131 Radioactive Iodine
ICD International Classification of Diseases (coding system)
ICDO International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (coding system)
ICF Intercellular fluid
ICU Intensive Care Unit
IL2 Interleukin2
IM Intramuscular - into a muscle
IMRT Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy
INSS International Neuroblastoma Staging System
ITU Intensive Therapy Unit
IU International units
IV Intravenous - into a vein
IVP Intravenous Pyelogram - type of Xray after injection with iodine dye
J
J
JCO Journal of Clinical Oncology
K
K
K+ Potassium
kg Kilogram - a thousand grams
L
L
L1 - L5 Lumbar vertebrae 1 - 5 (spine eg. L1 = 1st lumbar vertebra)
LCH Langerhans cell histiocytocis
LCIS Lobular Carcinoma In Situ - type of breast cancer
LDH Lactic dehydrogenase -high levels correlate with tumor volume in some cancers
liter - unit of volume
LMM Lentigo Maligna Melanoma
LMP Low Malignant Potential (context: ovarian tumours)
LN Lymph Node
LP Lumbar puncture
LVEF Left Ventricular Fjection Fraction - a heart function test
LVSF Left Ventricular Shortening Fraction - a heart function test
Lx Lumpectomy
M
M
m meter (unit of length)
M/H Medical history
MAB - mAb Monoclonal antibody
Mastectomy
MDR Multi drug resistant
MDS Myelo dysplastic syndrome
MEN Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia - (familial) a.k.a. FMEN
mEq/l milliequivalent per liter
mets Metastases (where the tumour has spread to secondary sites)
Mg Magnesium
mg milligram - 0.001 gram
MI Miocardial Infarction
mIBG Radioactive Iodine Metaidobenzoguanidine (mIBG scans or mIBG therapy).
microgram - 0.000001 gram
ml millilitre 0.001 liter
MM Malignant Melanoma
mm millimeter - 0.001 meters
mM millimole
mOsm milliosmole
MPNST Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour
MPO Medical and Pediatric Oncology (journal)
MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (scan)
MRT Malignant Rhabdoid Tumour
MSSU Mid stream specimen urine
MTD Maximum tolerated dose - phase 1 studies
MTX Methotrexate (anti cancer drug)
MUD Matched Urelated Donor - for bone marrow transplant
N
N
N/V Nausea and vomiting
Na+ Sodium
NAD No Abnormality Detected
NBCCS Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome
NBM Nil by mouth
NED No evidence of disease
ng Nanogram - 0.000000001 gram
NK Natural Killer cells (large lymphocytes, part of the immune system)
NK Not known
NM Nodular Melanoma
NMR Nuclear magnetic resonance (scan)
NOS Not otherwise specified (see ICDO)
NRSTS Non-Rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcoma
NSCLC Non-small cell lung cancer
NSE Neuron-Specific Enolase - a neural marker
NSR Non significant result
NSR Normal Sinus Rhythm
O
O
O/E On Examination
ONB Olfactory Neuroblastoma
OS Osteogenic sarcoma (context bone tumours)
OS Overall Survival
Osteogenic sarcoma (Osteosarcoma)
P
P
PBSC Peripheral Blood Stem Cell
PBSCH Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Harvest
PBSCR Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Rescue (transplant)
PBSCT Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant
PD Progressive disease
PDQ Physician's Data Query (CancerNet)
PET Pancreatic Endocrine Tumor
PET Positron Emmission Tomography- a scan after a small radioactive injection.
PFS Progression Free Survival
pg picogram - 0.000000000001 gram
pH hydrogen-ion concentration - acid / alkaline
PH Past History
PNET Peripheral neuroectodermal tumour Context: Bone tumours - see Ewing's tumor
PNET Primitive neuroectodermal tumour Context: CNS tumours
PNS Peripheral nervous system - nervous system outside the brain and spine.
PR Partial Response / Partial Remission
PR per rectum
PRN as required
prn whenever necessary (pro re nata)
PSA prostate-specific antigen - PSA test used in screening for prostate cancer
PUD Peri-Urethral Diathermy (associated with superficial bladder cancer)
Q
Q
QALY Quality-Adjusted Life Year
qid Four times a day (quater in die)
QoL Quality of Life
R
R
RBC Red blood cell / red blood count
RCT Randomised Controlled Trial
RFS Relapse free survival - Time from diagnosis to relapse or death.
RIGS Radioimmunoguided surgery
RNA ribonucleic acid
RTPCR Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
S
S
SA Surface area (see BSA)
SAE Serious Adverse Event
SC Subcutaneous
SCC Squamous Cell Carcinoma
SD Stable Disease
SDV Source Data Verification
SGOT Serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase - a liver function test
SGPT Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase - a liver function test
SH Social history
SHO Senior House Officer
SIADH Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone
SNP Single Nucleotide Polymorphism
SOB Short of breath
SSM
Staging system - primary tumour
Superficial Spreading Melanoma
T
T
T1 - T12 Thoracic vertebrae 1-12 (spine eg. T10 = tenth thoracic vertibra)
TAMs tumour-associated macrophages
TBI Total body irradiation
TCC Transitional Cell Carcinoma (usually bladder cancer)
TCP Thrombocytopenia
tds / tid Three times a day (ter in die)
TNF Tumour Necrosis Factor
TNM
TPN total parenteral nutrition
Transplant - Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)
TRK Transketolase
U
U
U&Es Urea and Electrolites
UA Urine analysis
ULN Upper Limits of Normal
Ultasound (scan)
URTI Upper respiratory tract infection
UTI Urinary Tract Infection
UVR Ultra Violet Radiation
V
V
VEF Ventricular ejection fraction (tests lung function)
VM-26 Teniposide (anti cancer drug)
VMA Vanillylmandelic Acid
VP-16
W
W
WBC White blood cell count
WCC White cell count
WM Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia
XRT Radiotherapy (external)
Y
Y
YST Yolk sac tumour - (aka. germ cell tumour)
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