designed to relieve a particular problem or problems without necessarily solving them; for example, palliative therapy is given in order to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life but not to cure the patient.
capable of being felt during a physical examination by an experienced physician; in the case of prostate cancer, this normally refers to some form of abnormality of the prostate which can be felt during a digital rectal examination.
prostatic acid phosphatase; an enzyme test now used only rarely to decide whether prostate cancer has escaped from the prostate.
a physician who specializes in the examination of tissues and blood samples to help decide what diseases are present and how they should be treated.
that part of the skeleton that joins the lower limbs of the body.
of the penis.
the male organ used in urination and intercourse.
of the perineum.
the area of the body between the scrotum and the rectum.
outside the central region.
prostatic intraepithelial (or intraductal) neoplasia; a pathologically identifiable condition believed to be a possible precursor of prostate cancer; also known more simply as dysplasia by many physicians.
a form of safe but non-active treatment frequently used as a basis for comparison with pharmaceuticals in research studies.
a term used to describe the number of sets of chromosomes in a cell; see also diploid and aneuploid.
the term used to describe a test result which shows the presence of the substance or material for which the test was carried out; for example, a positve bone scan would show signs of bone metastases.
the rear; for example, the posterior of the prostate is the part of the prostate that faces a man's back.
the patient's potential clinical outlook based on the status and probable course of his disease.
continuing growth or regrowth of the cancer.
the gland surrounding the urethra and immediately below the bladder in males.
a surgical removal of the prostate gland; see also radical prostatectomy.
infection or inflammation of the prostate gland.
a man-made device used to replace a normal body part or function.
a precise set of methods by which a research study is to be carried out.
prostate specific antigen; a protein made by the prostate gland and detected in the blood, its presence increases in response to the presence of foreign materials such as prostate cancer cells; it is used to detect potential problems in the prostate gland.
an evaluation of health status relative to the patient's age, expectations, and physical and mental capabilities.
a physician who has received special training regarding the treatment of cancers with different types of radiation.
(also known as radiotherapy) the use of x-rays in an attempt to destroy malignant tissues.
the surgical removal of the prostate and surrounding tissue and structures with the intent to cure the problem believed to be caused by or within the prostate.
a type of atom (or a chemical which is made with a type of atom) which emits radioactivity.
physician who specializes in radiology, administering and interpreting X-ray, ultrasound and other imaging studies.
a branch of medicine concerned with X-rays, ultrasound and other imaging techniques.
the process of assigning patients to different forms of treatment in a research study in a random manner.
the final part of the intestines which ends at the anus.
the reappearance of disease.
resistant to therapy; e.g. hormone refactory prostate cancer is resistant to forms of treatment based on the use of hormones.
reduction in the size of a single tumor or reduction in the number and or size of several tumors.
the real or apparent disappearance of some or all of the signs and symptoms of cancer.
surgical removal of tissue.
instrument inserted through the urethra and used by a urologist to cut out tissue (usually from the prostate) while seeing precisely where he is cutting.
(in a medical sense) a patient's ability to fight off a disease as a result of the effectiveness of his (or her) immune system.
difficulty in initiation of urination or the ability to completely empty the bladder.
behind or posterior to the pubic arch.
the chance or probability that a particular event will or will not happen.
reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; a technique which allows a physician to search for tiny quantities of a protein, such as PSA, in the blood or other body fluids and tissues.
