Glossary

Knowing medical terms related to prostate cancer and its treatment will help you better understand the disease and have more detailed conversations with your doctor.

Androgen:

Any male sex hormone. Testosterone is the major androgen.

Biopsy:

Removal of a small amount of tissue from the body to determine if cancer cells are present.

Chemotherapy:

A treatment that destroys the cancer cells with drugs. This may be used together with surgery or radiation.

Digital rectal examination:

An exam where the doctor uses a finger to check for abnormalities in the rectum. Some tumors of the rectum and/or prostate can be detected with this type of exam.

Histrelin:

A kind of drug known as a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist.

Hormone suppression therapy:

Also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). This treatment interferes with hormone production or action. It's a common form of treatment for advanced prostate cancer.

GnRH agonist:

The GnRH agonists are a class of drug used for prostate cancer hormone therapy. The hypothalamus in the brain makes Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) which ultimately leads to the production of testosterone in the testes by stimulating the pituitary gland to make two other hormones. Gonadotropin releasing hormone is sometimes referred to as luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH). The GnRH agonist drugs mimic normal GnRH by binding to the pituitary gland causing it to initially release its hormones leading to the making of testosterone. If the stimulation of the pituitary gland by GnRH or the GnRH agonists goes on for a period of time the pituitary becomes de-sensitized which results in a reduction in the amount of testosterone made in the testes.

Malignant tumor:

A tumor which is cancerous.

Mestastasis:

The spread of the cancer from one part of the body to another, for example, from the prostate to the liver.

Mortality:

Relating to death.

Oncologist:

A medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of cancer.

Orchiectomy:

This is surgery to remove the testicles. Also known as castration, it is only the removal of the testicles, not the sac of skin covering them (the scrotum), nor is it the removal of the penis.

Prostate:

A walnut-sized gland found in men just below the bladder and in front of the rectum.

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) test:

A blood test that measures the levels of prostate specific antigen made by the prostate. The test is used by doctors to help detect and treat prostate cancer.

Prostatectomy:

There are several types of surgery available. For example, prostatectomy, where the entire prostate gland, along with some tissue surrounding it, is removed.

Radiation therapy:

The use of high-energy X-rays to kill or shrink cancer cells.

Staging:

A term used to describe the extent of the cancer based on physical examination and diagnostic imaging tests.

Testosterone:

A sex hormone produced mostly by the testicles in men, although a small amount is also produced by the adrenal gland. Testosterone can also cause a prostate cancer tumor to grow.

Tumor:

An abnormal growth of cells resulting from uncontrolled cell growth or activity in the body.

Urologist:

A medical doctor who is specially trained in the diagnosis and treatment of problems in the urinary tract and genitals.

Watchful waiting/active surveillance:

One type of prostate cancer management in which the doctor closely monitors the growth and spread of the disease.