Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of locally advanced ...

Glossary
Actuarial survival A method of calculating survival over time.
Adrenal glands Small glands lying on top of the kidneys which produce a small amount
of male hormone.
Anaemia A lack of red cells in the blood. It can cause tiredness, paleness,
weakness and sometimes heart problems.
Androgens Male hormones. The most active male hormone, testosterone, is
produced by the testicles. Other male hormones are produced by the
adrenal glands.
Androgen deprivation
therapy (ADT)
Medical or surgical castration, anti-androgens or oestrogens.
Anti-androgens Drugs that block the effects of male hormones.
Asymptomatic Not having symptoms, symptom-free.
Benign Not cancerous.
Benign prostate
enlargement
Non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. Overgrowth of normal
prostate tissue.
Bisphosphonates A class of drugs that prevent the loss of bone mass.
Bone scan A test in which a radioactive chemical is injected, then x-rays trace its
path throughout the body. The chemical goes to parts of the bone which
are abnormal, such as areas of cancer, infection or arthritis. Bone scans
can be unreliable and so are often used to give guidance, rather than
answers, to a problem.
Benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH)
A condition causing non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.
Biopsy of the prostate Removal of small pieces of tissue, in this case, from the prostate. Tissue
samples are taken from different areas of the prostate, and then examined
under the microscope to see if they are cancerous.
Brachytherapy A type of radiotherapy of the prostate. Involves the insertion of
radioactive seeds directly into the prostate which are retained (low-dose
brachytherapy). An alternative form (high-dose brachytherapy) involves
treatment by temporary insertion of radio-active catheters into the
prostate.
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Appendices