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P

PALLIATION: Relief of symptoms.

PAP (prostatic acid phosphatase): An enzyme produced by benign and cancerous prostatic epithelial cells. Levels of PAP in the blood serum are measured by doctors to detect prostate cancer and monitor therapy, although this test has been largely replaced by prostate-specific antigen. Synonyms: Prostatic Acid Phosphatase, PSAP.

PARTIN TABLES: Tables constructed based on results of the PSA, cli

PATHOLOGICAL STAGE: The extent of disease as determined by a pathologist's microscopic analysis of tissue removed at the time of surgery. Pathologist: Doctor who specializes in tissue and blood analysis. Example: Surgical pathologist examines biopsies and surgical specimens under the microscope, and communicates the findings to the treating doctor or surgeon.

PC: prostate cancer

PCa: prostate cancer

PENILE IMPLANT: Device intended to restore erections.

PENILE: Relating to the penis.

PERINEAL PROSTATECTOMY: Surgical removal of the prostate through the perineum.

PERINEAL: Relating to the area between the anus and scrotum in men; area between the anus and vagina in women.

PERINEUM: Area between the anus and scrotum in men; area between the anus and vagina in women.

PERINEURAL INVASION (PNI): This may be part of the pathology report to help grade the cancer. It refers to the growth of a tumor along the nerve (perineural) branches of the prostate gland. This path may act as a highway, allowing the tumor to escape outside the confines of the prostatic capsule.  Many believe the presence of perineural is a generally recognized as a poor prognostic factor in prostate cancer.  It has been shown in some studies to shorten the time between treatment and recurrence.  It is a factor, if known, to consider in the treatment decision. 

PERIPHERAL ZONE: Anatomic region of the prostate adjacent to the rectum in which most cases of prostate cancer develop.

PERIPROSTATIC: Pertaining to the soft tissues immediately adjacent to the prostate gland.

PIN: Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia; tumor formation within the prostatic epithelium which is considered the pre-invasive form of prostate cancer.

PLOIDY: Measure of the amount of DNA in cells. If abnormally high, ploidy suggest genetic abnormality, one measure of malignancy and cancer aggressiveness. Synonym: DNA ploidy.

PNI: perineural invasion

POSITIVE MARGIN: Edge of a surgical specimen that is involved with the disease process. Example: The apex of the prostate has a positive margin after radical prostatectomy (involved with cancer).

PRIMARY THERAPY: The first and major therapy of early disease.

PRIMARY: Original site of cancer.

prn: As needed (Latin dosing abbreviations) Other

PROCTITIS: Inflammation of the rectum; may be an adverse effect of radiation therapy used to treat prostate cancer.

PROGNOSIS: Prediction of outcome.

PROGNOSTIC FACTOR: Any type of evidence that predicts outcome.

PROGRESSION: Worsening or recurrence of cancer.

PROSCAR: Brand name of finasteride, a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT.

PROSTAGLANDIN E2 (PGE2): A major metabolite of arachidonic acid, known to stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hence, angiogenesis.

PROSTAGLANDIN: An eicosanoid isolated from the prostate gland that acts locally, metabolizes rapidly, and has a hormone-like effect, stimulating target cells into action.

PROSTASCINT: A monoclonal antibody (mAb) tagged with a radioactive isotope that is used to detect prostate cancer, particularly within lymph nodes. The ProstaScint mAb is directed against the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). PSMA is associated with androgen-independent PC. A few centers are using the ProstaScint scan to identify PC in the prostate gland.

PROSTATE CANCER: Adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland.

PROSTATE: The gland surrounding the urethra and immediately below the bladder in males that produces fluid for sexual function.

PROSTATECTOMY: Surgical removal of part or all of the prostate gland. If the entire gland is removed, a radical prostatectomy has been performed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), performed to improve urinary difficulties, is an example of removal of part of the gland.

PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA): A protein secreted by the normal epithelial cells of the prostate gland as well as by prostate cancer cells if they are present. Elevated PSA levels in the blood can be due to benign or malignant causes. After diagnosis of prostate cancer, this biomarker is typically used to monitor disease progression and/or response to therapy.

PROSTATE-SPECIFIC MEMBRANE ANTIGEN: A protein produced by benign and cancerous prostatic epithelial cells. The presence of this protein on the membrane or surface of the cells allows its recognition by specific antibodies, a property that is exploited by antibody imaging techniques to visualize prostate cancer (see ProstaScint). Synonyms: PSM, PSMA.

PROSTATIC ACID PHOSPHATASE (PAP): An enzyme or biomarker secreted by prostate cells that is associated with a higher probability of disease outside the prostate when pretreatment levels are 3.0 or higher. PAP elevations connote that the disease is not organ-confined disease.

PROSTATIC INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA (PIN): A pathologically identifiable condition believed to be a possible precursor of prostate cancer; broken down into high-grade PIN or PIN 2 and PIN 3 versus low grade PIN or PIN 1. High grade PIN is associated with having PC.

PROSTATIC URETHRA: Anatomic segment of the urethra that is surrounded by the prostate.

PROSTATITIS: Infection or inflammation of the prostate gland that can be treated with medication and/or prostate massage.

PROSTHESIS: Replacement device for missing or faulty body part.

PSA ASSAY: The means by which a blood sample is analyzed to determine its PSA content. Various assays can result in different in readings from the same sample; therefore, it is wise to use the same assay for each subsequent PSA test. Very sensitive assays that measure PSA down to two or three decimal points are called hypersensitive or ultrasensitive PSA assays. These assays play a major role in early detection of relapse after radical prostatectomy or in the assessment of the tumor cell population in response to ADT.

PSA DENSITY (PSAD): The amount of PSA (expressed in nanograms) for each cubic centimeter of prostate volume; the serum PSA value divided by an accurate gland volume determination.

PSA DOUBLING TIME: The length of time in months that it takes for the PSA to double in amount.

PSA II: free to total PSA test - also referred to as a "Free PSA".

PSA LEAK: The secretion of PSA from the cells into the blood. Low levels of serum PSA are often associated with higher Gleason scores, as an expression of less PSA leak because more aggressive prostate cancers lose the ability to secrete PSA. Thus, PSA is an unreliable marker of disease progression in high Gleason score prostate cancer, e.g., Gleason scores 8-10.

PSA RECURRENCE (PSAR): Elevated PSA following treatment of prostate cancer, signaling that cancer cells are still present and that monitoring for disease progression is indicated.

PSA RELAPSE-FREE SURVIVAL: Survival of the patient that relates to no evidence of a progressively rising PSA.

PSA TREND: The slope that a series of PSA readings over time would exhibit on a graph.

PSA VELOCITY: A statement of how fast the PSA is accelerating; the rate of change in PSA calculated per year of time.

PSA: prostate specific antigen. Kallikrein enzyme produced by benign and cancerous prostatic epithelial cells. Levels of PSA in the blood serum are measured by doctors to detect prostate cancer and monitor therapy. Synonym: Prostate-specific Antigen.

PSAD: Level of PSA after accounting for volume of the prostate. Synonym: PSA density.

PSADT: PSA doubling time

PSAV: PSA velocity

PSM: A protein produced by benign and cancerous prostatic epithelial cells. The presence of this protein on the membrane or surface of the cells allows its recognition by specific antibodies, a property that is exploited by antibody imaging techniques to visualize prostate cancer (see ProstaScint). Synonyms: Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen, PSMA.

PSM: prostate specific membrane

PSMA: A protein produced by benign and cancerous prostatic epithelial cells. The presence of this protein on the membrane or surface of the cells allows its recognition by specific antibodies, a property that is exploited by antibody imaging techniques to visualize prostate cancer (see ProstaScint). Synonyms: Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen, PSM.

PT: Prothrombin Time

PYRILINKS-D (Dpd): Deoxypyridinoline, or Dpd, is a laboratory test to monitor the biologic endpoint of bone resorption activity obtained by analysis of the second-voided urine of the day.

Q

QCT SCAN: Quantitative CT bone densitometry; a superior way to evaluate bone density compared to the DEXA scan because it is uninfluenced by unrelated conditions such as arthritic changes and/or vascular calcifications. (Telephone numbers that may be helpful in finding QCT sites near you: Mindways, (877) 646-3929 ( www.qct.com ), or Image Analysis, (800) 548-4849 ( www.image-analysis.com ).) Rad: Abbreviation for Radiation Absorbed Dose, a measure of the amount of radiation. This term is being replaced by cGy. Synonym: cGy.

q4h: Every 4 hours. (Latin dosing abbreviations) Other

q21: Given every 21 days (Latin dosing abbreviations) Other

qd: Daily (Latin dosing abbreviations) Other

qid: Four time a day (Latin dosing abbreviations) Other

R

RADIATION ONCOLOGISTS: Doctor who specializes in cancer treated by radiation therapy.

RADIATION THERAPY (RT): The use of X-rays and other forms of radiation to destroy malignant cells and tissue.

RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY (RP): Complete surgical removal of the prostate; usually includes removal of attached seminal vesicles.

RADIOLOGIST: Doctor who specializes in diagnostic tests using imaging, including X-rays, MRI, and CT scan.

RADIOTHERAPY: Use of radiation to treat disease. Synonym: Radiation Therapy.

RECEPTOR: Protein molecule, often on the surface membrane of cells, that interacts like a lock-and-key with other chemicals such as hormones and drugs.

RECURRENCE: The reappearance of disease manifested by clinically based findings, either upon physical examination or by the results of laboratory findings such as a rising PSA.

REFRACTORY: Loss of response to therapy. In prostate cancer frequently used when a man on hormonal ablation therapy experiences a rise in the PSA and the testosterone remains low.

REGIONAL: Involving a relatively large anatomic area.

REGRESSION: Decrease in size, or extent of cancer.

REMISSION: Partial or complete disappearance of cancer.

RESORPTION: Loss of bone caused by an imbalance in the dynamics of bone formation by osteoblasts or bone loss due to breakdown of the bone by osteoclasts.

RETENTION: Inability to urinate.

RETROPUBIC PROSTATECTOMY: Surgical method for removal of the prostate through an incision in the lower abdomen and reaching the prostate behind the pubic bone.

RETROPUBLIC: Referring to behind the pubic bone.

RISK ASSESSMENT: An analysis of probabilities related to a specific patient's case, obtained by analyzing medical variables of known significance and used to derive an overall impression of how different disease management options would impact an optimal or suboptimal outcome for the patient.

RP: radical prostatectomy

RPP: radical perineal prostatectomy

RRP: radical retropubic prostatectomy

RT: radiation therapy

RT-PCR: reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

RX: prescribed medications