Glossary

What is Psycho- Social Health Research?

The psycho-social perspective focuses on the human experience of life. Psycho-social is a broad holistic term that refers to the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of the human experience. The underlying assumption is that an individual’s experience can only be understood as a complex interrelationship between inner psychological dimension and the external social context. In health care, psycho-social research is predominantly concerned with how individuals deal with the challenges of serious mental and/or physical illness. In this context the notion of the ‘individual’ embraces the patient, their significant others and those who care for them, professionally and other wise.

Please note: Psycho-Social is also commonly represented as Psycho Social, Psychosocial and PsychoSocial

Glossary of Terms

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• Acute – A stage characterised by a rapid progression of the disease requiring immediate treatment.
• Acute emesis – is the most common form of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting. The onset may take place minutes after the medication is administered, but usually occurs 2-6 hours after administration. It usually lasts up to 24 hours after administration.
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia – A very progressive cancer of the white blood cells. It starts with the continuous over-production of malignant white blood cells, also known as lymphoblasts, found in the blood and bone marrow. These malignant lymphoblasts over-power normal, healthy bloody cells. It is the most common form of childhood leukaemia. It is also predominantly found in adults over 50.
• Adjuvent – ‘Back up’ treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy following an apparently curative resection of tumour.
• Aetiology – Refers to the causes of disease such as infections, radiations, viruses or toxic agents.
• Alkylating agents – A class of chemotherapy drugs that interfere with the cell’s ability to reproduce.
• Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation – Involves the transfer of marrow from a donor to another person.
• Alopecia – Hair loss.
• Anaemia – Depletion of red cells which carry oxygen to the body causing tiredness, dizziness, headaches, and irratilbility.
• Anaesthesia – A procedure in which a patient receives medication that blocks out pain.
• Anaesthesiologist – A doctor who specialises in the study and administration of anaesthesia.
• Angiography – Radiological imaging of blood vessels.
• Anorexia – Absence or loss of appetite for food.
• Anticipatory nausea – A nausea response to any sight, sound, taste, or odour related to treatment. It is believed these responses are conditioned or learned.
• Asymptomatic – Without symptoms.
• Anticoagulation – Prevention of blood clotting.
• Anti-emetics – Medicines used to prevent or relieve nausea and vomiting. Examples of such drugs are Metoclopramide (Maxolon), Ondanestron, Zofran.
• Antigen – A substance, foreign to the body, that stimulates the production of antibodies by the immune system. Antigens include foreign proteins, bacteria, viruses, pollen and other materials.
• Antilymphocyte globulin – A protein preparation used to treat and prevent graft-versus-host disease.
• Antimetabolites – Anti-cancer drugs that interfere with the cell’s ability to grow and divide by the cell’s ability to produce DNA. Examples include Methotrexate, Mercaptopurine, Fluorouracil, Cytosine Arabinoside.
• Aplasia – Reduction in the counts of certain blood cells that can be measured in the blood.
• Aplastic Anaemia – A condition in which the marrow has degenerated into scar tissue and hence produces too few blood cells.
• Apoptosis – Programmed cell death or the mechanism by which chemotherapy and irradiation cause tumour cells to die.
• Aspiration cytology – A needle is pushed into the marrow and a few drops of fluid are extracted and smeared on a microscope slide. The smear is stained and examined to identify the type of cells.
• Autism – A developmental brain disorder diagnosed from around 18months of age. There is no known origin of Autism. Symptoms include problems with social interaction and communication, speech problems and compulsive, repetitive interests. The symptoms of autism vary in severity and continue into adulthood.
• Autologous transplantation – Involves the use of the patient’s own marrow in transplantation. In this form of transplantation there is no risk of GVHD.
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• B cells – White cells (lymphocytes) that make antibodies that destroy foreign substances.
• Basophil – Type of granulocyte (white cell) that plays a special role in allergic reactions and helps in the healing of inflammations.
• Benign – Non-cancerous. These cells overproliferate, but unlike malignant cancer cells, they do not invade or metastasise.
• Biopsy – A medical procedure involving the removal of a sample of tissue to examine under a microscope to help with the diagnosis of a disease condition. With regards to the bone marrow it is usually a small cylindrical core of bone together with bone marrow about the length of a fingernail and the width of thin spaghetti. It is collected with a specially designed marrow coring needle.
• Blasts – The earliest recognisable forms of all the different types of blood cells.
• Blast Crisis – A stage in the development of the chronic leukaemias where the disease becomes aggressive and produces large numbers of immature cells.
• Blood – A vital organ that supplies food, oxygen, hormones, and other chemicals to all of the body’s cells. It helps remove waste products and assists the lymph system in fighting infection.
• Blood-brain barrier – A network of blood vessels located around the central nervous system with very closely spaced cells that make it difficult for potentially toxic substances – including anticancer drugs – to enter the brain and spinal cord.
• Blood counts – A combined test to count red cells, white cells, and platelets, together with a measurement of the amount of haemoglobin the blood contains.
• Blood transfusion – Blood taken from a donor, prevented from clotting, checked and tested, cross-matched, and administered into the veins of a recipient.
• Blood type – Identification of the proteins in a person’s blood cells so that transfusions can be given with compatible blood products.
  Examples of blood types are A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, O+, O-.
• Bone marrow – The spongy interior of the long bones.
• Bone Marrow Aspiration – A process in which a sample of fluid and cells is withdrawn from the bone marrow using a hollow needle.
• Bone Marrow Transplant – The transplant procedure begins with the patient or donor providing stem cells. These blood-forming cells are stored while the patient’s malignant cells are killed. The stem cells are then returned to the patient to speed the recovery of bone marrow.
• Brachytherapy – Treatment with radiation applied at or very near the surface of the body.
• Burkitt’s Lymphoma – A rare type of aggressive non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma involving the abnormal growth of the B lymphocyte. It is the commonest childhood tumour in equatorial Africa.
• Busulphan – A drug used in the treatment of conditions such as CML.
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• Cancer – A general term for more than 100 diseases characterised by uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells that can invade and destroy healthy tissues.
• Cannula – A tube which can be inserted into a vein to allow substances to be fed into the blood circulation.
• Carcinogen – A substance that can cause cells to become cancerous.
• Carcinogenesis – Refers to the development of cancer. Cancer is believed to arise when one of the cells of the human body escapes the normal growth control mechanism and multiplies irregularly and rapidly.
• Catheter – A hollow tube inserted into body for giving or removing substances.
• Central Nervous System – The brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
• Central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis – Some types of leukaemia can penetrate the coverings of the brain where ordinary chemotherapy often does not reach. This term refers to the treatments specially targeted at these areas, such as injections into the spinal fluid or radiotherapy of the brain, that are given to address this problem in some conditions.
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) – Fluid that surrounds and bathes the brain and spinal cord and provides a cushion from shocks.
• Chemotherapy – The use of drugs to kill malignant cells. It may be given as a single drug or a combination of drugs.  Chemotherapy drugs are used to destroy cancer cells by interfering with their duplication and growth. Unfortunately, these drugs also affect the normal cell and hence the individual will also experience side-effects from the drugs.
• Chronic – Patients do not always require treatment in the chronic stage as the cells affected at this stage are more mature and more able to function. Often individuals with chronic leukaemias can go for extended periods of time without the need for any treatment.
• Clinical trial – A carefully designed and executed investigation of a drug, drug dosage, combination of drugs, or other method of treating disease. Each trial is designed to answer one or more scientific questions and to find better ways to prevent or treat disease.
• CMV – Cytomegalovirus is the most important infectious cause of severe interstitial pneumonia, especially among patients receiving allogeneic marrow transplantations.
• CNS Leukaemia – When the leukaemia cells invade the brain and spinal cord.
• CNS Prophylaxis – Therapy administered concurrently with systemic chemotherapy to eliminate any cancer cells remaining in the sanctuary of the CNS.
• Combination chemotherapy – This refers to the combination of chemotherapy drugs used in treatment. Combination regimes are commonly known by the first letters of the drugs included.
• Combined Modality therapy – Various mixtures of distinct treatments which can demand the efforts of a wide assortment of specialists including oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and radiologists.
• Complete blood count (CBC) – Measure of the numbers of white cells, red cells, and platelets in a cubic millimetre of blood.
• Complete remission – When chemotherapy causes the blood and bone marrow to look normal because of the elimination of most of the malignant cells. This does not mean that all malignant cells have been eradicated. Rather it is the elimination of all measurable or evaluable disease.
• Computed tomography (CT Scan) – A body scan or a CAT scan is a very sophisticated technology using computers and X-rays to provide a detailed 3-D picture of the internal organs.
• Consolidation therapy – This therapy usually follows induction therapy when the disease is no longer visible. Repeated cycles of chemotherapy are given at reduced doses to further decrease the number of diseased cells.
• Cord Blood Transplants – Haematopoietic stem cells obtained from the placenta and umbilical cord discarded after a baby is born are used in transplant.
• Corticosteroids (Steroids) – A category of synthetic hormones used in treatment and help to suppress GVHD.
• Cyclophosphamide – A drug used for immunosuppression and destruction of leukaemia cells.
• Cyclosporin – A drug used to treat and prevent graft-versus-host disease.
• Cytogenetics – The study of the origin, structure, and function of the chromosomes in the blood cells.
• Cytology – The science dealing with the composition and functioning of cells.
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) – This is a virus that is harmless in healthy people but causes serious disease in patients who have had their immune system suppressed through technologies such as Bone Marrow Transplantation. It is one of a group of herpes virsues.
• Cytopenia – A reduction in the number of different blood cells circulating in the body.
• Cytosine arabinoside – Also known as Ara-C, is given by injection in the treatment of leukaemia. The side effects are vomiting and nausea, and the patient needs to drink lots of water to avoid kidney damage.
• Cytotoxic – Causing the death of a cell.
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• Daunorubicin – A drug given by injection into a vein used in the treatment of leukaemia. It has side effects of nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and possible heart damage if used over a long period.
• Delayed nausea – Nausea that develops after the first 24 hours following chemotherapy administration.
• Dexamethasone – A synthetic drug mainly used to relieve the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.
• Differentiation – The process by which cells mature and become specialised.
• Disseminated disease – A stage in the disease where the cancer cells spread to other parts of the body away from the original site.
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• Echocardiogram – A diagnostic test that uses ultrasound to visualise the interior of the heart and determine how effectively it is functioning.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) – A graphic record of the electric current produced by the contraction of the heart.
• Eosinophil – A type of white cell that responds to allergic reactions as well as foreign bacteria.
• Engraftment – The successful implantation of donor marrow in the patient’s marrow cavities.
• Epstein Barr Virus – Usually associated with glandular fever, this virus is also linked with Hodgkin’s disease.
• Erythrocytes – Red cells circulating in the blood that contain haemoglobin which carries oxygen to all tissues of the body.
• Etoposide – A drug used in treatment given by mouth or injected into the vein, which has the side effects of hair loss, nausea, loss of co-ordination, inflammation of the mouth, shortness of breath and loss of appetite. If the drug leaks into the surrounding tissue it can do tissue damage around the vein (known as extravasation).
• External catheter – Indwelling catheter in which one end of the tubing is in the heart and the other end of the tubing sticks out through the skin, for example, a Hickman’s catheter.
• Extravasation – The infiltration or leakage of intravenous fluids or drugs into the local tissue surrounding the administration site.
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• Flare reaction – A raised, red streak along the course of a vein, which may be mistaken for extravasation.
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• Graft – Tissue taken from one person (donor) and transferred to another person (recipient or host).
• Graft Rejection – Represents destruction of the graft by the immune cells of the host.
• Graft-versus-host Disease – A condition that may develop after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in which the transplanted marrow (graft) attacks the patient’s (host’s) organs.
• Graft-versus-leukaemia (GVL) – The new immune cells from the transplant can attack the cancerous leukaemia cells, resulting in a graft versus leukaemia effect and thereby reducing the risk of a relapse.
• Granulocytes – White cells (neutrophils) that fight infection, kill bacteria, and remove damaged tissue. During infection these cells rapidly increase in numbers and destroy the invading bacteria or fungi and then return to normal levels again.
• Granulocyte-macrophage or Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor (G-M or G-CSF) – Haematopoietic growth factors administered prior to cell collection for transplantation.
• Granulocytopenia – Deficiency of granulocytes (neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils).
• Growth factors – Proteins used to stimulate the production of blood cells.
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• Haematology – The study of factors associated with blood diseases.
• Hairy Cell Leukaemia – This condition is characterised by the presence of abnormal cells which under the microscope have ‘hair-like’ projections.
• Haematology – Branch of medicine that focuses on the study of blood diseases and related disorders.
• Haematologist – Doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of blood and blood-forming tissues.
• Haematocrit – The measurement of the proportion of cells to plasma in a sample of blood. Sometimes called packed cell volume (PCV).
• Haemoglobin – An iron-rich protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen.The pigment in the red blood cells which facilitates the transportation of oxygen around the body.
• Haematopoiesis – The development of mature blood cells from precursor cells in bone marrow.
• Haemorrhagic cystitis – Bleeding from the bladder, which can be a side effect of the drug cytoxan.
• Heparin solution – An anticoagulant injected into indwelling catheters between uses to prevent clots.
• Hepatitis – Inflammation of the liver by virus or toxic origin. Fever and jaundice are usually present, and sometimes the liver is enlarged.
• Herpes zoster – A viral infection that produces shingles, painful skin eruptions that follow the underlying routes of nerves inflamed by the virus.
• Hickman catheter – An example of an external catheter. It is an indwelling catheter that has one end of the tubing in the heart and the other end outside the body.
• Histocompatibility – The state of similarity between tissues of the donor and the recipient.
• Histology – The examination of cells and tissue samples through such technologies as chemical analysis or by looking at them under the microscope.
• HLA Antigens (Human Leucocyte Antigens) – Proteins on the surface of cells that are important in transplantation and transfusion. For BMTs, the HLSs on white cells of the patient and potential donor are compared. A perfect HLA match occurs only between identical twins.
• Host – In bone marrow transplantation, the person who receives the marrow.19
• Hydroxyurea – A chemotherapy drug which is an analogue of urea, first synthesised 100 years ago which inhibits cell division.
• Hypercalcaemia – High levels of calcium (serum calcium) in the blood caused by the breakdown of bone tissue in diseases such as Multiple Myeloma.
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• Immunosuppression – Reduction of the functions of the immune system either by disease or deliberately through drugs to prevent a reaction against donor marrow cells and to prevent graft-versus-host disease.
• Indolent lymphomas – Slow growing Lymphomas that are often asymptomatic other than the painless enlargement of the lymph nodes in the neck.
• Induction therapy – Treatment that aims to eradicate all leukaemia cells and allow normal cells to re-populate the marrow.
• Infusion – Gradually administering medications or blood products into the blood system of the patient over a long period of time.
• Infusion pump – A small, computerised device which allows drugs to be given at home through an IV or indwelling catheter.
• Interferon – A drug used in the treatment of some haematological disorders.
• Interstitial Pneumonia – Inflammation of the lung tissue, often caused by a virus. A respiratory complication associated with BMT which is characterised by fever, and respiratory distress.
• Intrathecal injection – The injection of drugs into the cerebrolspinal fluid, usually during a lumbar puncture.
• Intravenous – The administration of a substance through a vein.
• Intravenous-access line (IV) – A hollow metal or plastic tube which is inserted into a vein and attached to tubing, allowing various solutions or medicines to be directly infused into the blood.
• Inverted Y radiotherapy – This is radiotherapy given to the lower half of the body, for example, in the pelvis or the central part of the abdomen.
• Irritant – A medication that may produce pain and inflammation at the administration site, or along the path of the vein by which it is administered.
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• L-asparaginase – A drug, usually given by injection, used in treatment that selectively restricts the growth of leukaemia cells. It is associated with allergic reactions in adults but is considered to be well tolerated by children.
• Leucocyte – General name for white blood cell.
• Leucopenia – A reduction in the number of total circulating white blood cells.
• Leucopheresis – A process where the white blood cells are removed from the blood before it is returned to the patient.
• Leukaemia – Cancer of the bone marrow where the white blood cells grow at a rapid, uncontrolled rate. This overproduction suppresses normal red blood cell and platelet production.
• Linear accelerator – A machine that creates and uses high-energy X-rays to treat cancers.
• Lumbar puncture – A medical procedure used for diagnosis where a fine needle is inserted into the fluid around the spinal cord at the lower part of the back to obtain a cell sample. It can also be used to administer drugs to treat CNS disease.
• Lymphangiogram – X-ray studies of the lymph system after injection of a dye.
• Lymphocytes – The white cells found in the blood and lymphatic system that help protect the body from invasion by recognising and reacting to the antigens of the invader. There are three types of lymphocytes, B-cells, T-cells and NK (natural killer) cells.
• Lymphoblastic lymphoma – A childhood lymphoma most often of T-cell origin.
• Lymphomas – Cancers of the immune system, the complex network of specialised organs and cells that defends the body against infection.
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• Maintenance therapy – This refers to the administration of low dose drugs to further reduce the residual malignant cells that remain. Such therapy usually follows induction and consolidation chemotherapy where the number of diseased cells have been reduced to a minimum. The aim of maintenance therapy is to keep the number of diseased cells at such a level that the disease either retreats or the immune system is able to destroy it.
• Malignant – Cancerous (see cancer).
• Marrow – Part of the bone rich in haematopoietic, or blood forming, stem cells – primitive cells that multiply and metamorphose into the different components of blood.
• Metastatic Disease – Where cancer cells travel through the body to a secondary site and implant resulting in a secondary malignancy.
• Metastatic Lesions – The spread of the primary tumour to produce secondary lesions elsewhere in the body.
• Metastasis – The spread of cancer to distant sites in the body.
• Minimal Residual Disease – Where it is known that there is still a small amount of malignancy left behind.
• Monocytes – Make up five to ten per cent of circulating white blood cells and defend the body against bacterial infection.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan – A technology based on the use of magnetic fields that produces very detailed pictures of the internal organs. MRI is sensitive to differences in chemical composition and fluid content, and so tumours often present a more dramatic, readily comprehensible appearance in these images than in CT.
• Monocyte – A type of white blood cell that ‘eats’ unwanted material.20
• Mucositis – Inflammation of the mucous membranes in response to cancer therapies. This may affect the mucous membranes that line the oral (mouth), gastro-intestinal, and/or female reproductive cavities.
• Mycosis Fungoides – A T-cell lymphoma of the skin.
• Myelosuppression – The marrow function being restricted in some way.
• Neutrophil – White cells that protect the body by engulfing and ingesting bacteria and other infectious material that enters the body.
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• Neutropenia – A reduction in white cells known as neutrophils, usually by the drugs given in chemotherapy, which has the consequence of leaving the patient vulnerable to infection.
• NK (Natural Killer) cells – White cells which kill invading infectious agents, or assist the body’s immune system in attacking invading organisms.
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• Oncology – A branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and cancer-related diseases.
• Oncologist – A doctor who specialises in treating cancer patients.
• Oral – Administered by mouth.
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• Paediatrics – A branch of medicine that deals with the medical diagnosis and care of infants and children
• Paediatrician – Doctor who specialises in the care and development of children and the treatment of their diseases.
• Palliative – Treatment given to improve symptoms, quality of life, and possibly to increase life expectancy without prospect of cure.
• Palliative Care – Palliative Care is an approach that aims to give a person with a serious or life-threatening illness a more improved quality of life, rather than the overall treatment of the illness. Palliative Care can help people live more comfortably through pain control and addressing psychological, spiritual, and social concerns
• Pancreatitis – Inflammation of the pancreas which can cause extreme pain, vomiting, hiccoughing, constipation, and collapse.
• Pancytopenia – A reduction in all types of blood cells.
• Partial Response (PR) – Greater than or equal to 50 per cent reduction inmeasurable or evaluable disease in the absence of progression in any particular disease site.
• Pathologist – Doctor who specialises in examining tissue and diagnosing disease.
• Peripheral blood stem cell transplant – Transplantation with peripheral blood stem cells rather than marrow. The cells can be collected from the veins.
• Petechiae – An indication of low platelet count seen by small spots of red or purple found on the skin. The spots are actually a form of small haemorrhages.
• Philadelphia Chromosome – Discovered in the 1960s, the presence of this abnormal chromosome is important diagnostically in conditions such as CML and ALL.
• Plasma – The liquid part of the lymph and the blood.
• Platelets – Cells that circulate in the blood to prevent bleeding and help with clotting.
• Ports (Implantable subcutaneous ports) – Such as Mediport, Infusaport, Port-a-cath, PAS Port, are metal or plastic encased ports with rubber septums attached to a silicone catheter that is inserted into a central vein. These ports are surgically implanted under the skin.
• Positive Selection – The concentrated selection of stem cells during the process of collection for transplantation.
• Prednisolone – A drug from the family of steroids, given by mouth, used for killing cancer cells in leukaemia treatment. Long term effects can include weight gain, red face, bone weakening, high blood pressure and diabetes. Short courses of these drugs are given in order to avoid these problems.
• Progenitor cell (Precursor Cell) – The young cell produced by the bone marrow which will later differentiate into a mature cell.
• Prognosis – Expected or probable outcome.
• Progressive Disease (PD) – Greater than 25 per cent increase in measurable or evaluable disease or development of a new lesion.
• Progression Free Survival – Duration of response to treatment where no measurable increase in tumour size is seen.
• Prolymphocytic Leukaemia – This is a rare form of CLL which occurs in the elderly. The abnormal cells in this condition are called pro-lymphocytes. Treatment usually involves chemotherapy and irradiation of the spleen.
• Prophylaxis – An attempt to prevent disease.
• Protocol – The treatment schedule. It outlines the drugs that will be taken, when they will be taken, and in what dosages. Also includes the dates for procedures (e.g. bone marrow aspiration schedule).
• Psychiatry – A branch of medicine, which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of mental and behavioural disorders.
• Psychomotor – Pertains to the combination of voluntary psychical moments and mental activity.
• Purging – The process of removing contaminating cancer cells form the cells collected for transplantation.
• Purpura – A condition where a severe reduction in platelets leads to purple spots on the skin, often accompanied by bleeding gums.
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• RAD – Short term for ‘radiation absorbed dose’ which refers to the amount of radiation absorbed by tissues.
• Radiologist – Doctor who specialises in using radiation and radioactive isotopes to diagnose and treat disease.
• Radiotherapy – The use of high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill malignant cells and shrink tumours.
• Regimen – The combination of drugs and the treatment program for their administration to the patient.
• Relapse – This refers to the time that the disease may come back even though it has previously gone into remission. Re-treatment may or may not produce another complete remission.
• Remission – The time when the disease has been eliminated so that none can be measured clinically, radiologically or on blood tests following treatment.
• Remission induction – The initial treatment aimed at eliminating the clinically detectable cancer.
• Resistance – Like bacteria resistant to antibiotics, some tumours are able to survive the anti-cancer drugs used to treat them. Certain tumours prove to be drug resistant from the outset, whereas others develop resistance with repeated treatment.
• Right atrial catheter – Indwelling catheter with tubing that extends into the heart which provides access for drawing blood and injecting medication.
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• Sanctuary sites – Sites in the body where the chemotherapy does not reach and hence are likely to harbour disease, for example the testicles or the brain.
• Schizophrenia – A mental illness that is characterised by the onset of hallucinations, disorganised thoughts/behaviour, delusions, and a reduced ability to feel ordinary emotions. Schizophrenia typically develops in the late teens of early twenties and can leave a sufferer with an impaired ability to live and deal within society.
• Secondary Malignancy – The risk of patients developing a second primary tumour years later is due to the irreversible genetic damage caused by some chemotherapies.
• Sepsis – Infectious disease caused by micro-organisms which affects the entire body and is not limited to only one or a few organs or body structures. It is an extremely serious condition.
• Septicaemia – A bacterial infection in the blood stream.
• Side effect – Unintentional or undesirable secondary effect of treatment.
• Stable disease – Less than 50 per cent decrease or less than 25 per cent increase in measurable or evaluable disease.
• Staging – A classification system, using clinical, radiological and surgical techniques, indicating how far the cancer has spread throughout the body.
• Stem cells – The single type of precursor cell that eventually produces the different types of blood cells. Although some stem cells circulate in the blood, they reside primarily in the marrow, where they generate a soup of developing blood cells.
• Stem cell transplantation – (See Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation). A form of transplantation used to replace the marrow destroyed by high dose chemotherapy by either the patient’s own stem cells collected from their blood stream or bone marrow, or from that of their donor stem cells.
• Stomatitis – An inflammatory response affecting the oral cavity or throat.
• Subcutaneous injection – An injection into tissue under the skin.
• Subcutaneous port – Type of indwelling catheter comprised of a portal under the skin of the chest attached to tubing leading into the heart.
• Syngeneic transplantation – Involves transfer to marrow from an identical twin.
• Systemic – Spread throughout the body, usually via the blood steam. In relation to chemotherapy, the systemic administration of drugs is the distribution of cytotoxics via the blood circulatory system.
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• TBI (Total Body Irradiation) – Radiation given to all major parts of the body prior to treatments such as BMT with the purpose of eliminating any evidence of cancer cells.
• T-cells – Stem cells that develop in the thymus that attacks infected cells, foreign tissue, and cancer cells.
• Therapeutic – Pertaining to treatment.
• Thrombocytes – Platelets.
• Thrombocytopenia – A shortage of platelets which leads to problems with bleeding.
• Topical – Cream or solution placed on skin.
• Tumour – A growth that results from a process when cells stop dividing in their normal orderly way and start to divide in an uncontrolled way.
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• Ultrasound Scan – An ultrasound examination provides pictures from the echo patterns of soundwaves bounced back from internal organs.
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• Vancomycin – Antibiotic commonly used to treat infections in indwelling catheters.
• Vesicants – Those drugs that have the potential to cause cellular damage when they infiltrate the subcutaneous tissue. Even a minute amount can cause damage, so special precautions must be taken when administering these agents. Examples include, Daunorubicin, Vincristine.
• Vinca Alkaloids – Chemotherapy drug that interferes with cell division.
• Vincristine – A drug used in chemotherapy with leukaemia (ALL) given by injection into a vein. Repeated use can have the short-term side effect of ‘pins and needles’ and numbing in the fingers and toes, hair thinning or constipation.
• Vital signs – Term that describes a patient’s pulse, rate of breathing, and blood pressure.
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• Xerostoma – A dryness of the oral mucosa, the result of decreased production of saliva. This may cause alterations in taste, difficulty in chewing or swallowing, and poor fit of dentures.
• X-ray – A type of radiation that can be used at low levels to diagnose disease or in its high-energy form to treat cancer.
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Reference:

McGrath. P., (2007) Living with Leukaemia, Myeloma and Lymphoma. A guide for patients and their families. Researchman Publishers, Brisbane, Australia.

Please note: Psycho-Social is also commonly represented as Psycho Social, Psychosocial and PsychoSocial