YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

STRANGE PLACE LINKS: PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY : GETTING STARTED - THE FOREST OF FEAR : GETTING STARTED - THE PROCESS

STAGING AND DIAGNOSIS : BEYOND DIAGNOSIS - THE DESERT OF DOUBT : BEYOND TREATMENT - THE PLAINS OF RECOVERY : REMISSION

YANA LINKS: SURVIVOR STORIES : DISCUSSION FORUM : RESOURCES

This is part of anInformation Guide. Introduction: Index

ADT	Androgen Deprivation Therapy - the correct term for Hormone Therapy. The prostate cancer is deprived of the testosterone androgen that fuels growth.
AI	Androgen Independent - see AIPC
AIPC	Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer - late stage prostate cancer which no longer responds to ADT (Androgen Deprivation Treatment)
AS	Active Surveillance, where no conventional treatment is undertaken but careful monitoring is undertaken looking for disease progression
Brachytherapy	A form of radiation therapy in which radioactive seeds are inserted into the prostate gland. Also known as SI (Seed Implants) or HDR (High Dose Rate Brachytherapy).
CAB	Combined Androgen Blockade - see CHT
CAT Scan, also CT Scan	Computer Axial Tomography scans. An advanced form of X-ray scan that creates detailed images of the prostate
CHB	Combined Hormone Blockade - see CHT
CHT	Combined Hormone Therapy - where more than one method of ADT (Androgen Deprivation Therapy) treatment is used
CM	Conservative Management - the term used by men who have elected not to have conventional treatment but are using alternative therapies
Cryotherapy Cryo	This is a treatment where the prostate gland is frozen following the insertion of thermal probes, the aim being to destroy the cancer cells
DRE	Digital Rectal Examination - the standard basic examination of the prostate where a finger is inserted into the rectum
EBRT	External Beam Radiation Therapy - the normal radiation therapy which uses a beam from a machine, focussed on the prostate gland
HIFU	High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. This is a treatment where the prostate gland is heated following the insertion of probes, the aim being to destroy the cancer cells
HT	Hormone Therapy - more correctly ADT (Androgen Deprivation Treatment)
HDR	High Dose Rate Brachytherapy - a form of radiation therapy in which radioactive seeds are inserted into the prostate gland and then withdrawn. Not available in South Africa at present.
HRPC	Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer - see AIPC above
IADT	Intermittent Androgen Deprivation Therapy - see IHT
IHT	Intermittent Hormone Therapy, also known as Pulse Therapy, where ADT (Androgen Deprivation Treatment) is given for a short time and then stopped. The theory is that this reduces the chance of AIPC (Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer) developing
LUTS	Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms - the generic term covering urinary problems such as nocturia, urgency and incontinence
Nocturia	The term used to describe the frequency of urination at night
Metastasis Mets	The spread of the cancer from its original site. The secondary cancers are referred to as metastases and the disease is said to have metastasised
MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging - this type of scan uses a very strong magnetic field, rather than X-rays to create pictures of internal organs
Orchiectomy Orchidectomy	The surgical removal of the testicles. This is a form of hormone therapy to remove the primary source of testosterone
Partin Tables	A set of tables which uses collected data to demonstrate the potential for the disease having spread beyond the prostate organ
PSA	Prostate Specific Antigen - the standard blood test used as a marker to indicate the possibility of a disease of the prostate. It is not cancer specific, therefore an elevated PSA does not always mean that the man has cancer
fPSA, Free PSA, PSA II	Free PSA is "unbound" PSA and differs chemically from normal PSA. The amount of fPSA is usually shown as a percentage of the total PSA. The higher the percentage, the less the chance of prostate cancer being present. A fPSA of 25% or greater is usually regarded as indicative of a low probability that malignancy is present
SI	Seed Implants - a form of radiation therapy in which radioactive seeds are inserted permanently into the prostate gland. Also known as brachytherapy
TRUS	Transrectal Ultrasound - the imaging technique used to guide a biopsy
RP	Radical Prostatectomy - the surgical removal of the prostate gland
WW	Watchful Waiting, also known as Active Surveillance, where no conventional treatment is undertaken unless the disease progresses