ADENOCARCINOMA: cancer that starts in a glandular tissue like the prostate.
ACUTE PROSTATITIS: prostate infection characterized by the sudden flare-up of severe symptoms such as high fever and a burning feeling when urinating.
ADJUVANT THERAPY: treatment used in addition to the main treatment. It usually refers to hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation added after surgery to increase the chances of curing the disease or keeping it in check.
ADRENAL GLANDS: one adrenal gland is located near each kidney. Their main function is to produce hormones which control metabolism, fluid balance, and blood pressure. In addition, they produce small amounts of "male" hormones (androgens) and "female" hormones (estrogens and progesterone).
ANDROGEN: any male sex hormone; the major androgen being testosterone.
ANESTHESIA: the loss of feeling or sensation as a result of drugs or gases. General anesthesia causes loss of consciousness with local anesthesia numbing a certain area.
ANTIBODY: a protein produced by immune system cells and released into the blood to defend against foreign agents, such as bacteria.
ANTIANDROGENS: drugs that block the body's ability to use androgens and are usually used in combination with orchiectomy or LHRH analogs.
ARTIFICIAL SPHINCTER: prosthesis or artificial device sometimes used to treat incontinence after prostate surgery.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH): condition characterized by growth of a benign tumor inside the prostate, often resulting in voiding difficulties. Also known as benign prostate hypertrophy.
BENIGN TUMOUR: an abnormal growth that is not cancerous and does not spread to other areas of the body.
BIOMARKERS: biochemical features (ex. the amount of a specific enzyme or protein in the blood) that can signal the existence of a disease, measure disease progress and the effects of treatment. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) is an example of a biomarker.
BIOPSY: the removal of a sample of tissue to see whether cancer cells are present.
BONE SCAN: an imaging method that gives information about the location of cancer that may have spread to the bones.
BRACHYTHERAPY: internal radiation treatment given by placing radioactive material directly into the tumour.
BULBOUS URETHRA: enlarged section of the urethra downstream from where the urethra passes through the prostate. Seminal fluid collects in the bulbous urethra before ejaculation.
CANCER: the uncontrolled and unrestricted growth of cells that no longer respond to growth regulatory signals.
CAPSULE: term referring to a layer of cells surrounding an organ such as the prostate. Prostate cancer begins to invade other parts of the body when a growing tumor breaks through the prostate capsule.
CARCINOMA: most common form of cancer characterized by the growth of a malignant tumor in surface tissues of an organ or on the skin. Prostate cancer is a form of carcinoma.
CASTRATION: surgery to remove the testicles; the medical term is orchiectomy.
CATHETER: a thin, flexible tube through which fluids enter or leave the body.
CHEMOTHERAPY: treatment for cancer based on the use of various potent drugs that attack and destroy certain types of cancer. Such drugs are either injected or taken orally and often produce side effects.
COLLAGEN: colloidal chemical substance made of proteins, sometimes injected into the urinary sphincter region to treat incontinence.
CONGESTION: situation characterized by buildup of fluid in some area of the body. In prostate congestion, there is an unrelieved, often painful buildup of prostatic fluid in the prostate, sometimes accounting for cases of prostatitis.
CRYOABLATION: use of extreme cold to freeze the prostate and destroy cancer cells.
CYSTOSCOPY: examination of the bladder with an instrument called a cystoscope.
DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM (DRE): the doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum to feel for anything that is not normal.
DRIP COLLECTOR: collecting device, either internal or external, to collect urine from an incontinent person.
EJACULATE: fluid that normally passes out of the penis during ejaculation. Ejaculate generally contains sperm originating in the testicles and seminal fluid originating in the testicles, seminal vesicles, and prostate.
EPIDIDYMIS: two common-shaped tubes inside the scrotum that surround each testicle.
ESTROGEN: one of the most important sex hormones contributing to development of female sexual characteristics. Large quantities are produced in female ovaries, far lesser amounts in male testicles.
5-ALPH REDUCTASE: enzyme found in the prostate that controls conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). When the action of this enzyme is blocked, production of DHT is inhibited, stopping growth of a benign prostate tumor.
FOLEY CATHETER: type of catheter named for its inventor, with a balloon at the end inserted into the body. The balloon holds the catheter in place. A Foley is usually inserted through the penis to drain urine after prostate surgery.
GENE THERAPY: a new type of treatment in which defective genes are replaced with normal ones.
GLEASON SCORE: a method of classifying prostate cancer cells on a scale of 2 to 10.
GRADE: the grade of a cancer reflects how abnormal it looks under the microscope. High-grade cells are more abnormal looking and tend to be aggressive.
HEMATOSPERMIA: frightening but not necessarily serious condition in which blood is found in seminal fluid. Often caused by a prostate infection. (HIFU) High Intensity Focused Ultrasound: a prostate cancer treatment that does not involve surgery but instead uses a (HIFU) beam which destroys cancerous prostate tissue with minimal side effects.
HORMONAL THERAPHY: therapy based on administering certain hormones or chemical substances that block the action of other hormones. In benign prostate enlargement, hormonal therapy blocks the action of male hormones that promote tumor growth.
IMPOTENCE: inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection of sufficient duration to satisfy both sexual partners.
INCONTINENCE: loss of urinary control. Incontinence may be complete or partial and can result from prostate surgery or from radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
INFERTILITY: in a man with prostate problems, the inability to father a child due to prostate infection or retrograde ejaculation.
IRRITATED PROSTATE: prostate condition associated with sexual behavior, characterized by pain and other discomfort.
LAPAROSCOPIC LYMPH NODE DISSECTION: test procedure using a device called a laparoscope that involves the removal of tissue through small incisions for later examination of possibly cancerous lymph nodes in the vicinity of the prostate.
LHRH: (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) a hormone secreted by the hypothalamus, a tiny gland in the brain.
LHRH ANALOGS: man-made hormones, chemically similar to LHRH. They block the production of the male hormone testosterone and are sometimes used as a treatment for prostate cancer.
LIBIDO: sex drive.
LYMPH NODES: small bean-shaped collections of immune system tissue found throughout the body that protect against infections. Also called lymph glands.
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM: lymph nodes and the structures that connect them.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI): a method of taking pictures of the inside of the body using a powerful magnet that transmits radio waves through the body.
MALIGNANT TUMOUR: a mass of cancer cells that may invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body.
METASTASIS: the spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph system or bloodstream.
NEOPLASM: any abnormal growth in the body. A neoplasm may be benign or malignant.
ONCOLOGIST: a doctor with special training in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
OVERFLOW INCONTINENCE: characterized by a temporary inability to void, followed by uncontrollable urine flow. Also, paradoxical incontinence.
PELVIC NODE DISSECTION: removal of the lymph nodes in the pelvis.
PENILE IMPLANT: Prosthesis or artificial device used to treat impotence. When surgically inserted into the penis, it provides sufficient rigidity for vaginal penetration and sustained sexual intercourse.
PITUITARY GLAND: gland at the base of the brain that produces hormones stimulating release of other hormones, including testosterone.
PERINEAL PROSTATECTOMY: the prostate is removed surgically through an incision between the scrotum and anus.
PRIMARY CANCER: cancer that originates on its own at a specific site in the body, rather than having spread there from another site. Prostate cancer is a primary cancer.
PRIMARY TREATMENT: the first and usually the most important treatment.
PRIMARY SITE: the place where cancer begins and is usually named after the organ in which it starts.
PROSTASCINT SCAN: the prostascint scan uses low level radioactive material to find cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.
PROSTATE GLAND: a spherical gland below the bladder about the size of a walnut that secretes part of the seminal fluid and controls urinary flow.
PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA): a gland protein made by the prostate. Levels of PSA in the blood often go up in men with prostate cancer. The PSA test is used to help find prostate cancer as well as to monitor the results of treatment.
PROSTATECTOMY: surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland.
PROSTATITIS: inflammation of the prostate.
PSAD (PSA DENSITY): PSAD is determined by dividing the PSA number by the prostate volume (its size as measured by transrectal ultrasound).
PSA RECURRENCE: the return of prostate cancer after treatment (usually years after treatment) as detected by a rising PSA.
RADIATION THERAPY: treatment with high-energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill or shrink cancer cells.
RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY: surgical removal of the entire prostate gland, the seminal vesicles and nearby tissue.
RECTUM: lower part of the large intestine leading to the anus.
RECURRENCE: cancer that has returned after treatment.
REFRACTORY: condition referring to a disease that can no longer be controlled by the treatment program in effect. When a prostate cancer is said to be refractory, there is a need for some form of additional treatment.
REMISSION: complete or partial disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer after treatment.
RETROPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY: prostatectomy is when a surgical incision is made through the abdomen at a point above where the penis enters the body, cutting through the bladder to reach the prostate.
SCREENING: the search for disease, such as cancer, in people without symptoms.
SCROTUM: pouch of skin that holds the testicles.
SECONDARY TUMOUR: a tumour that spreads (metastasis) from the place where it started.
SEEDS: radioactive pellets implanted in the prostate to destroy cancerous growth.
SEMEN: fluid released during orgasm containing sperm and seminal fluid.
SEMINAL VESICLES: glands at the base of the bladder that releases fluid into the semen during orgasm.
STAGING: the process of finding out whether cancer has spread, and if so, how far.
SUPRAPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY: prostatectomy in which a surgical incision is made through the abdomen at a point above where the penis enters the body, bypassing the bladder as the cut is extended to the prostate.
TESTOSTERONE: the main male hormone made primarily in the testes.
TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND (TRUS): the use of sound waves to create a picture of the prostate on a screen.
TRANSURETHRAL HYPERTHERMIA (TH): new treatment for benign prostate enlargement; heat generated by a microwave transmitter alleviates urinary obstruction.
TRANSURETHRAL INCISION OF THE PROSTATE (TUIP): new treatment for benign prostate enlargement; a series of small cuts is made inside the urethra to alleviate urinary obstruction.
TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION OF THE PROSTATE (TURP): an operation that removes part of the prostate gland surrounding the urethra.
TRANSURETHRAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED LASER PROSTATECTOMY: new prostatectomy technique used with benign prostate enlargement; a laser beam guided by an ultrasound image removes excess prostate tissue that interferes with normal urination.
TUMOUR: an abnormal lump or mass of tissue.
URETHRA: the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside.
VAS DEFERENS: one of two muscular tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the urethra.