Glossary

A

Active surveillance: Not having active treatment or taking medication but instead watching your condition carefully with your medical team to see if your cancer recurs and to detect any new cancers early. This strategy usually involves regular imaging tests and clinical examination.

Adjuvant therapy or adjuvant treatment: Treatment given after the surgical removal of your cancer to reduce the risk of it coming back in future. This may include immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy or radiation therapy and is aimed at killing any remaining undetectable cancer cells.

Advanced cancer: Cancer that has spread past the origin site into other parts of the body. May also be called metastatic cancer.

Advanced care directive: Legal documents that contain written instructions about your health care wishes, that can be used for decision making by health professionals in case you cannot speak for yourself.

Allied health workers/professionals: Trained health professionals (not doctors, dentists, or nurses) who help manage physical or mental health.

Alternative therapy: Therapy used instead of standard, evidence-based medical treatment. Alternative therapies may not have strong scientific evidence to support their use.

Anaesthetic: A drug that stops a person from feeling pain during a medical procedure. General anaesthetic is medication that makes you lose consciousness and fall asleep so you can’t feel anything at all. Local anaesthetic is medication that blocks the feeling of pain in a specific location in the body.

Analgesics: Pain-relieving medications.

Asymptomatic: Producing or showing no obvious signs or symptoms of disease.

Axilla: The armpit.

Axillary lymph node clearance / Axillary lymphadenectomy / Axillary dissection:
Surgical removal of all lymph nodes and tissue from the armpit area of the body that may contain a tumour.

B

Baseline: An initial measurement taken prior to commencing treatment, including research studies.

Biopsy: A procedure to remove a small amount of tissue from the body that will be examined under a microscope to help diagnose a disease.

BRAF: A human gene that makes a protein called B-Raf that sends signals inside cells to direct their growth. Melanomas can have mutated
BRAF genes.

C

Cancer: Disease characterised by cells that do not follow usual cell conventions of multiplying and sharing space with neighbours. Cancer cells often have multiple cell nuclei, divide and replicate
much quicker than normal cells, and don’t stay within the usual boundaries for their tissue. There are many different types of cancer and it can occur in many places in the body. Melanoma is a type of cancer that starts in the melanocytes – pigment forming cells usually located in the skin, but it can also be inside other organs in the body.

Cannula: A thin plastic tube inserted into a narrow opening in the body to allow drainage of fluids or administration of medication. For
example, an intravenous (IV) cannula is used for giving fluids or treatment into a vein.

Care coordination: The delivery of services by different health providers that occurs in a coherent, logical and timely manner,
and is consistent with the person’s medical, psychological, social and financial needs.

Carer: A person who helps and supports someone through an illness or disability such as cancer.

Catheter: A hollow, flexible tube inserted into the bladder which allows urine to drain freely from the body.

Clinical trial: Research conducted with the patient’s permission. Clinical trials usually involve comparing two or more treatments or diagnostic methods, to better understand underlying disease
and how to treat it.

Combination therapy: Medication treatment that is taken with other medications.

Complementary therapy: Therapy used alongside standard medical treatment. Examples include counselling, relaxation therapy, massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and aromatherapy.

CT (computerised tomography) scan: A medical imaging procedure that uses x-rays and digital computer technology to construct detailed pictures from cross-sections of the body.

Cutaneous: Relating to or affecting the skin.

d

Diagnosis: Identifying and naming a person’s disease.

Dietitian: A health professional specialising in human nutrition.

Distant disease /distant metastasis: Cancer that appears in another area of the body, away from the primary site.

E

Enduring power of attorney: A person legally appointed to act on behalf of someone else for health and/or financial matters.

Excision: Removal of tissue by way of surgery.

Exercise Physiologist: University-qualified allied health professionals who specialise in the design and delivery of safe and effective exercise programs for people with chronic medical conditions, injuries or disabilities.

Experimental treatment: A new treatment being tested in a trial.

F

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA): A fine needle used to biopsy an area of (usually) suspected melanoma.

G

General anaesthetic: Medication that makes you lose consciousness and fall asleep so you can’t feel anything at all.

Grade: A score that a pathologist assigns when looking at cancer cells under a microscope that describes how quickly the tumour is likely to grow.

H

High-risk melanoma: Melanoma that has a high risk of recurring in regional lymph nodes or at distant sites.

Histopathologist: A medical specialist who looks at cancer cells and other tissue under the microscope and tells other doctors whether the cancer was removed completely or further surgery is needed, and also what grade the
cancer is.

Hospice: Health care that provides a combination of medical, spiritual, and psychological care to patients and their families during a terminal illness. This can be in a stand alone hospice, hospital or home setting. While many patients only live for a short time under hospice care, many others receive hospice care for many more months or even years, because their pain and symptoms are well controlled and they have a good quality of life.

I

Iliac: Relating to the ilium or pelvic region of the body where lymph nodes are present.

Ilio-inguinal lymph node clearance/dissection: Surgical removal of the lymph nodes in the groin and pelvic regions.

Immune response: The reaction of cells and fluids in the body to the presence of a substance not recognised as a normal part of the body.

Immune system: The process of the body that provides resistance to infection, viruses, bacteria, toxins or foreign substances.

Immunosuppressants: An agent that suppresses or prevents the immune response.

Immunotherapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the body’s immune system to fight infection and disease.

Incision: Surgical cut.

Informed consent: A person’s decision to voluntarily agree to a healthcare treatment, procedure or other intervention after receiving all the necessary information to make a decision.

Intravenous: Giving medicines or fluids through a needle or tube inserted into a vein.

L

Lymph nodes: Also called lymph glands, are small ‘lumps’ of tissue where the immune system coordinates its responses against bacteria, viruses and other targets, including cancer.

Lymph node dissection / lymphadenectomy: Surgical removal of all the lymph nodes in one area.

Lymphatic mapping: A procedure where a tiny amount of radioactive tracer is injected into the skin to map the way lymph drains from a tumour to the lymph nodes.

Lymphatic system: A network of vessels that carry lymph from the body’s tissues to the bloodstream.

Lymphoedema: Swelling caused by a buildup of lymph fluid, which can happen after lymph glands are removed or damaged.

M

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create crosssectional pictures of the body.

Malignant: Cancerous. Malignant cells can grow locally and/or spread to other organs and can eventually cause death if they are not treated.

Mental Health Care Plan / Mental Health Treatment Plan: A plan outlining the type of healthcare you need and your goals. A mental health care plan entitles you to Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual and 10 group appointments in a year, with some allied mental health services – such as psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers. You need to see your GP for a mental health care plan.

Medical oncologist: A doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating cancer using systemic therapies, including immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy. They may also coordinate
treatment given by other specialists and are often the main health care provider for someone who has cancer.

Melanoma: Cancer that starts from the cells that contain pigment (melanin) — most often those in the skin.

Metastasis: Also known as secondary cancer, a metastasis is cancer that has spread from another part of the body. Metastases is the plural form and metastasise is the verb form.

Multidisciplinary care: An integrated team approach to cancer care that involves medical, nursing and allied health professionals. Multidisciplinary care takes into account the personal preferences of the patient with the integrated team developing an individual care plan that best meets the needs of that patient.

Mutate: Change.

Mutation status: A term used to describe whether a patient’s tumour carries certain genetic mutations which are important targets for treatment.

N

Nausea: Feeling sick or feeling like you will vomit.

NED: No evidence of disease.

Needle biopsy: A type of biopsy where a small number of cells is removed using a fine needle placed through the skin and into a lymph node or organ. Also known as fine-needle aspiration (FNA).

Neoadjuvant: Treatment given before surgery. For melanoma patients, it is often a short course of targeted therapy or immunotherapy before surgery.

Nerve block: Pain medication injected directly into or around a nerve or into the spine to block pain.

Neurologist: A medical doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating conditions of the brain and nervous system.

NRAS: Abbreviation for Neuroblastoma RAS viral [v-ras] oncogene homolog. A gene involved in making a protein known as NRAS which regulates cell division. Mutated NRAS can cause normal cells to become cancerous.

Nutrition: The process of eating and digesting the necessary food the body needs.

O

Oedema: Abnormally large amounts of fluid in the tissues.

Oncologist: A doctor who specialises in the study and treatment of cancer. Includes Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists and Surgical Oncologists.

Opioids: A type of medication that is used for strong pain relief.

P

Palliative care: Healthcare aiming to improve the quality of life of patients and their families when facing a terminal illness.
Palliative treatment: Treatment aimed at relieving symptoms and helping people live better lives rather than curing the disease.

Palliative treatment: Treatment aimed at relieving symptoms and helping people live better lives rather than curing the disease.

Pathology: The medical specialty of laboratory examination of samples of body tissue/blood.

PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography): A scan where a small quantity of a radioactive substance (a PET tracer) is injected into the patient to gather important information about several different illnesses.

Primary care: Care provided by a health care professional who is a patient’s first point of entry into the health system (e.g. general practitioner, practice nurse, community nurse, or community based allied health worker).

Primary melanoma: The location on the body where melanoma is first diagnosed – the initial melanoma lesion.

Prognosis: The likely outcome of a person’s disease.

Psychiatrist: A medical doctor who specialises in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders.

Psychologist: A mental health professional who supports people with emotional and personal matters.

Psycho-oncology: This subspecialty addresses the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease and that of their families and caretakers. It also considers the psychological, behavioural and social factors that may influence the disease process.

R

Radiation oncologist: A doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiotherapy.

Radiation therapist: A health professional (not a medical doctor) who administers radiotherapy.

Radiation therapy / radiation oncology / radiotherapy: The use of controlled radiation, usually using X-rays or electrons as the form of radiation to target tumour cells, killing them or preventing them from dividing.

Randomised controlled trial: A trial where participants are randomly allocated to receive either a new treatment or a standard treatment (the control).

Recurrent cancer: Cancer that comes back after treatment.

Regression: A reduction in the size or appearance of the melanoma.

Relapse: When cancer reappears after a period of not being detected. The opposite of remission.

Remission: When the symptoms of cancer reduce or disappear. Remission doesn’t mean that the cancer is cured.

Resection: Surgical removal of any part of the body.

S

Scanxiety: The stress and worry that people can feel when waiting for scans and the results of those scans.

Secondary cancer: A tumour that has spread from the original site to another part of the body. Also called metastasis. The plural form is metastases.

Sentinel lymph node: The name for the first lymph node to where cancer cells are most likely to spread from a primary tumour.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB): A procedure to determine if the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes that are closest to the primary site of the cancer.

Side effect: Unintended effects of a drug or treatments.

Simulator: A machine that takes CT scans to help pinpoint where radiotherapy should be targeted.

Single-agent therapy: Medication or drug that is taken without any accompanying medication.

Skin graft: Piece of skin that is moved from one part of the body to another to cover a wound.

Specialist: A doctor who specialises in a particular area of medicine. Cancer specialists are called oncologists.

Stage: Terminology to describe the extent of a cancer and whether it has spread from an original site to other parts of the body. Staging categories are usually 0, I, II, III, IV.

Standard treatment: The best proven and currently available treatment, based on results of past research.

Surgical oncologist: A surgeon specialising in the surgical treatment of cancer.

Suture: The thread that forms a stitch to close a wound.

T

T-cell: Also called T lymphocyte. A type of white blood cell (leukocyte) that originate in the bone marrow, which help protect the body from infection and may help fight cancer.

Targeted therapy: Treatments that target specific cells to reduce damage to normal healthy cells.

Therapy: Another word for treatment. It may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and surgery.

TNM: Tumour Node Metastasis. This is a staging system used by clinicians to describe how advanced a particular cancer is.

Tumour: Abnormal growth of tissue which can be benign, malignant or metastatic.

Tumour markers: Chemicals produced by cancer cells which are released into the blood. The presence of these may suggest a tumour in the body, although some tumours will not have any tumour markers.

U

Ultrasound: An imaging procedure using sound waves that allows an inside view of soft tissues and body cavities.