Glossary of Terms by the Australasian Brachytherapy Group

The loss of feeling or sensation as a result of drugs. General anesthesia causes temporary loss of consciousness (“puts you to sleep”). Local or regional anesthesia numbs only a certain area.

An abnormal noncancerous growth that doesn’t spread to other places in the body.

The removal of a sample of tissue to see whether cancer cells are present. There are several kinds of biopsies. In some, a very thin needle is used to draw fluid and cells from a lump. In a core biopsy, a larger needle is used to remove significantly more tissue.

Internal radiation treatment is given by placing radioactive material directly into a tumour or close to it. Also called interstitial radiation therapy, intracavitary radiation therapy, intravascular radiation therapy, or seed implantation.

Cancer develops when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Normal cells grow, divide, and die. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new abnormal cells. Cancer cells often travel to other body parts where they grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, occurs as the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels.

A substance known to cause cancer.

A malignant tumour that begins in the lining layer (epithelial cells) of organs. At least 80% of all cancers are carcinomas.

A thin, flexible hollow tube. Catheters can be used to allow fluids to enter or leave the body. Catheters can also be used to insert temporary radioactive sources into tumours, as in breast brachytherapy or high dose rate prostate brachytherapy.

The lower, narrow end of the uterus that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina.

Treatment with drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used alone or with surgery or radiation to treat cancer.

Computed tomography scan. A series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body taken from different angles; the pictures are created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. Also called computerized tomography and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan.

Radiation therapy that uses a machine outside of the body to deliver high-energy rays directed at the cancer or tumour.

A system of grading prostate cancer cells describing how aggressive the cancer appears. It is used to determine the best treatment and to predict how well a person is likely to respond to treatment. The lower the Gleason score, the closer the cancer cells are to normal cells, the higher the Gleason score, the more abnormal the cancer cells.

HDR temporary brachytherapy involves placing very tiny plastic catheters into the treatment area, and then giving radiation treatments through these catheters over a temporary period. With HDR temporary brachytherapy, a computer-controlled machine pushes a single highly radioactive source into the catheters one by one.

A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near a tumour. Also called brachytherapy.

A radioactive source (implant) placed in a body cavity such as the cervix or esophagus.

Brachytherapy in which sources are left in place for the duration of treatment. This includes temporary LDR in which patients are hospitalized for several days of temporary brachytherapy. It also includes permanent LDR in which seeds are permanently placed.

A rounded mass of lymphatic tissue that is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue. Lymph nodes are spread out along lymphatic vessels and contain many lymphocytes, which filter the lymphatic fluid (lymph). Lymph nodes are part of the body’s immune system.

A cancerous growth with a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy. A medical oncologist often serves as the main caretaker of someone who has cancer and coordinates treatment provided by other specialists.

Professional scientist who ensure the accuracy and safety of all treatments where ionising radiation is used to treat a cancerous growth in the human body.

The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Tumours formed from cells that have spread are called “secondary tumours” and contain cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumour.

A doctor who specializes in treating cancer. Some oncologists specialize in a particular type of cancer treatment. For example, a radiation oncologist specializes in treating cancer with radiation.

Treatment given to relieve symptoms of pain caused by advanced cancer. Palliative therapy does not alter the course of a disease but can improve the quality of life.

A gland in the male reproductive system just below the bladder. The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the canal that empties the bladder, and produces a fluid that forms part of semen.

Radiant energy given off by x-ray machines, radioactive substances, rays that enter the Earth’s atmosphere, and other sources.

A doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat a variety of diseases including cancer.

A health professional who gives radiation treatment.

The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body.

Radioactive pellets, approximately the size of a grain of rice, used in brachytherapy.

The extent of a cancer within the body, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.

A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is temporarily placed directly into or near a tumour.

This is an important step in the management of cancer. Typically, several tests are performed to determine 3 things. The first part is to quantify the size and extent of a primary cancer. The second is to determine whether nearby lymph nodes are involved by the cancer. The third is to check whether cancer has spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Using this information, people with cancer are assigned a stage. This helps to determine the best course of treatment and it also predicts the response to treatment. Each type of cancer has a specific staging system.

A test that bounces sound waves off tissues and internal organs and changes the echoes into sonograms (pictures).

This is a procedure used in prostate brachytherapy to map out the prostate gland. An ultrasound probe is placed in the rectum to get images of the prostate. Once the map is made, a computer plan is generated to show the best place to put radioactive seeds in and around the prostate. This is often done before or during a prostate implant procedure.