Docetaxel with prednisone or prednisolone for the treatment of ...

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Glossary and list of abbreviations
Glossary continued
Localised disease Disease that is confined to
part of an organ or tissue.
Leucopenia An abnormally low level of
leucocytes in the blood. Leucocytes are white
blood cells which help to fight infections within
the body.
Lymph nodes Small organs that act as filters
in the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes close to
a primary tumour are often the first sites to
which a tumour spreads.
Measurable disease The presence of lesion(s)
that can be unidimensionally or
bi-dimensionally measured by physical
examination, echography, radiography or
computed tomographic scan.
Meta-analysis A quantitative method for
combining the results of many studies into one
set of conclusions.
Metastasis/metastatic cancer Cancer that has
spread to a site distant from the original site.
Mortality rate The proportion of deaths in a
population or in a specific number of the
population per unit of time.
Myalgia Muscle pain.
Neuropathy A term to describe any disorder
of the neurones or nerves of the body.
Neutropenia An abnormally low level of
neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils belong to
a group of white blood cells known as
granulocytes, which are important in fighting
infections within the body.
Number-needed-to-treat In clinical
treatment regimens, the number of patients
with a specified condition who must follow the
specified regimen for a prescribed period in
order to prevent occurrence of specified
complications or adverse outcomes of the
condition. Mathematically equal to 1/(risk
difference).
Oedema A build-up of excess fluid in the
body tissues.
Open-label trial A clinical trial where neither
the doctor nor the patient is ‘blinded’ to the
treatment group.
Palliative Anything that serves to alleviate
symptoms due to the underlying cancer but is
not expected to act as a cure.
Paraesthesia Numbness/tingling or ‘pins and
needles’ sensation of the skin.
Partial response At least a 50% decrease in
tumour size for more than 4 weeks without an
increase in the size of any area of known
malignant disease or the appearance of new
lesions.
Phase II trial A study with a small number
of patients diagnosed with the disease for
which the drug is being studied. In this study,
the efficacy and safety of the new drug is
tested.
Phase III trial A study with a large number
of patients diagnosed with the disease for
which the drug is being studied and is
unlicensed for the indication. In this study, the
drug is tested against a placebo or alternative
gold standard treatment.
Placebo A ‘dummy’ treatment administered
to the reference group in a controlled clinical
trial in order to distinguish the specific and
non-specific effects of the experimental
treatment (i.e. the experimental treatment
must produce better results than the placebo in
order to be considered effective).
Present Pain Intensity A scale from the
McGill–Melzack questionnaire.
Prevalence The measure of the proportion of
people in a population who have some
attribute or disease at a given point in time or
during some period.
Progressive disease Used to describe a
tumour that continues to grow or where a
patient develops more metastatic sites.
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