| laryngeal cancer | A malignant (cancerous) tumour of the larynx. Presentation includes a progressively hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing and weight loss. Risk factors include smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. (27 Sep 1997) |
|---|---|
| Li-Fraumeni cancer syndrome | <syndrome> Familial breast cancer in young women, with soft-tissue sarcomas in children and other cancers in close relatives. (05 Mar 2000) |
| liver cancer | <oncology, tumour> A tumour of the liver. most cancer involving the liver is spread (metastatic) from other areas (colon, breast or lung). See: hepatoma. (27 Sep 1997) |
| localised cancer | A cancer still confined to its site of origin. (09 Oct 1997) |
| lung cancer | A cancerous growth in lung tissue. Lung cancer may be metastatic from another source (colon) or may be primary (tumour is of lung cell origin). Classification is based on the type of cell the lung cancer originates from (adenocarcinoma, alveolar cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell and small cell carcinomas). (27 Sep 1997) |
| acupuncture therapy | Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. Heat or moxibustion and acupressure may be used in conjunction. (12 Dec 1998) |
| adjuvant therapy | <oncology, pharmacology> Treatment that is added to increase the effectiveness of a primary treatment. In cancer, adjuvant treatment usually refers to chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or radiation therapy after surgery to increase the likelihood of killing all cancer cells. (14 May 1997) |
| alternative therapy | A term given to nonconventional therapy usually given by persons who do not have a medical qualification. (16 Dec 1997) |
| analytic therapy | Short term for psychoanalytic therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy | <pharmacology> A method for targeting a drug to a specific tissue, in which the targeting agent and the drug are administered separately. The drug is designed to be inactive (a prodrug) until it is converted by an enzyme, which is the targeting agent. The enzyme is coupled to an antibody that directs it to the tissue of interest. When the enzyme arrives at the tissue, the prodrug is activated only at that site, sparing other tissues from potentially toxic side effects. Acronym: ADEPT (14 Nov 1997) |
| anticoagulant therapy | The use of anticoagulant drugs to reduce or prevent intravascular or intracardiac clotting. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antisense therapy | Use of antisense DNA for the inhibition of translation of a specific gene product for therapeutic purposes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| art therapy | The use of art as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of neurological, mental, or behavioural disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| autoserum therapy | Therapy with serum obtained from the patient's own blood. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aversion therapy | <psychology> A form of behaviour therapy that pairs an unpleasant stimulus with undesirable behaviour(s) so that the patient learns to avoid the latter. See: aversive training. (05 Mar 2000) |