| Professional Term |
Meaning |
| Adrenal glands |
Two small, triangle-shaped glands, one located on top of each kidney. These glands secrete various hormones, including androgens |
| Benign |
No cancerous and generally not life threatening |
| Biopsy |
A test that involves the removal of cells or tissue for examination under a microscope |
| Cancer |
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and possibly spread |
| Digital rectal examination (DRE) |
An exam in which a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to check for anything abnormal about the prostate |
| Hormone |
A chemical in the body produced by glands.
Hormones circulate in the blood and control
how certain cells and organs work |
| Malignant |
A cancerous tumor that can grow and spread and may be life threatening |
| Metastasis |
The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another part |
| Pituitary gland |
A gland located at the base of the brain. This gland produces hormones that tell the testes and other organs to release other hormones |
| Prostate |
A walnut-sized gland in men that surrounds part of the urethra. It is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum |
| Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) |
A substance in the blood that often increases in cases of prostate cancer and other prostate conditions |
| Scrotum |
The outside pouch that contains the testicles |
| Stage |
The size and extent to which the cancer may have spread |
| Testes |
Male reproductive glands that produce sperm and testosterone |
| Testosterone |
The male hormone responsible for the sexual characteristics of men |
| Tumor |
An abnormal mass of tissue that results from uncontrolled cell division and growth |
| Urethra |
The tube that carries urine from the bladder and semen from the sex glands |
| Professional Term |
Meaning |
| Adjuvant hormonal therapy |
Therapy that is given immediately after surgery or radiation in order to destroy cancer cells that may remain anywhere in the body after these procedures |
| Androgens |
Hormones that produce the sexual physical characteristics of men (such as deep voice and facial hair). The main male androgen is testosterone |
| Antiandrogens |
Drugs that fight prostate cancer by blocking the action of testosterone. These drugs are given as a pill |
| Bilateral orchiectomy |
Surgical removal of both testes, which results in castration |
| Biological therapy |
Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease |
| Brachytherapy |
A procedure in which tiny "seeds" made up of radioactive material are placed directly into the prostate |
| Castration |
Treatment that suppresses testosterone. Castration can be achieved surgically (orchiectomy) or medically (using an LHRA-A) |
| Chemotherapy |
Treatment with anticancer drugs that attack the cancer cells but may harm certain types of healthy cells |
| Combined hormonal therapy |
Combining two types of hormonal therapy—a
pill (an antiandrogen) and an injection (an
LHRH-A) |
| Cryotherapy |
Repeated freezing and thawing of tumor cells, which result in cell death |
| External beam radiation |
Radiation therapy that uses a machine to direct high-energy rays at a certain part of the body where cancer has been detected |
| Hormonal therapy |
In prostate cancer, treatment that interferes with the production of and block male hormones (such as testosterone) that promote the growth of tumors |
| Luteinizing hormone (LH) |
A substance produced by the pituitary gland in the brain that stimulates the secretion of sex hormones in men and women |
| Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone |
A hormone secreted by a part of the brain (hypothalamus) that trigger the release of LH |
| Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog (LHRH-A) |
Drugs that treat prostate cancer by keeping the testes from producing testosterone. These drugs are typically given as an injection |
| medical oncologist |
A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or biological therapy |
| Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy |
Therapy that is given before surgery or radiation in order to improve the results of these procedures |
| Palliative therapy |
Therapy that is given to provide symptom relief but is not intended to cure the disease or extend life |
| Prognosis |
A prediction that is made about the potential outcome of a disease |
| Prostatectomy |
An operation to remove part or all of the prostate |
| Radiation oncologist |
A doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer |
| Radiation therapy |
Treatment for prostate cancer that uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors |
| Radical prostatectomy |
An operation to remove the entire prostate and some of the tissue around it |
| Recurrence |
When a cancer returns a the same site as the original tumor or another location, after it had disappeared |
| Systemic therapy |
Treatment using medicines that travel through the blood to reach cells throughout the body |
| Urologist |
A doctor who specializes in diseases of the urinary and sex organ in males and the urinary organs in females |
| Watchful waiting |
Closely monitoring a patient's condition without treatment, using regular digital rectal exams and PSA blood tests; also called observation or surveillance |
