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- Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)A condition where plasma cells make too many large protein molecules known as immunoglobulins. MGUS is often found by chance as it can show up in routine blood tests. It does not cause any symptoms, and does not generally affect your health or need treatment. But if you have MGUS, you will be(...)
- Mould roomA room in hospital where masks (moulds) for medical treatment are made.
- Mouth ulcerAn area of sore, broken skin inside the mouth.
- MouthwashA liquid used to rinse and clean the mouth. It is usually not swallowed.
- MRISee Magnetic resonance imaging.
- MucinousPronounced myoo-sin-us. Mucinous carcinoma is a type of cancer that begins in cells that line certain internal organs and produces mucin (the main component of mucus)..
- MUGAMUGA stands for multiple gated acquisition. It is a type of heart scan that shows how well the heart is pumping blood around the body. It uses very small amounts of radioactive tracers to show up the main chambers and blood vessels of your heart. You have an injection first and then the scan(...)
- Multi-centre trialA trial where patients are recruited from more than one hospital. Some trials include patients from different countries.
- Multi disciplinary team (MDT)A team made up of various health professionals who work together to discuss your case and how best to manage your treatment and care. The team may include specialist doctors, surgeons, cancer specialist doctors, specialist nurses, doctors specialising in diagnosis from tissue specimens(...)
- MultifactorialMeans 'many factors involved'. When this word is used about a disease, it means it has more than one cause. For example, someone may develop a cancer partly because of their genetic make up, partly because of their diet and partly because of other factors in their environment.
- Multifrequency bio-impedanceThis is a way to measure tissue density, particularly the amount of fluid in the arm.
- Multiple myelomaThis is a form of cancer which affects plasma cells in the bone marrow.
- Muscle reconstructionA type of plastic surgery which uses muscle tissue to rebuild a part of the body that has been removed during surgery (for example, the breast).
- MutationA change in a gene. Genes are really codes that tell a cell to make a particular protein. If a gene is mutated, the protein it makes will be abnormal. Mutation can also change how a gene works by permanently switching it on or off.
- MYCNMYCN is a gene that can affect outlook (prognosis) in a childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. Some children with neuroblastoma have too many copies of this gene. This is called 'gene amplification'. Doctors think that children with too many copies of the MYCN gene may not respond as well to(...)
- Mycosis fungoidesA very rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that affects the skin. It is a type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma and usually begins with red scaly patches forming on the skin. These can be very itchy. In the second stage raised red plaques (patches) can form. The last stage is raised lumps forming(...)
- Myelodysplastic syndromesPronounced my-lo-dis-plas-tic sin-dromes. These are a group of conditions affecting the bone marrow. The bone marrow makes many abnormal blood cells but there are not enough healthy blood cells in the blood. Myelodysplastic syndromes are not cancer but they can sometimes develop into leukaemia.
- Myeloid leukaemia (AML) This is a cancer of the myeloid line of white blood cells.
- MyelomaA type of cancer that develops from the plasma cells of the bone marrow. Myeloma is often referred to by the particular type of immunoglobulin or light chain (kappa or lambda type) produced by the cancerous plasma cell.
- Myeloproliferative disordersA group of conditions closely related to leukaemia in which one or more type of blood cell is overproduced by the bone marrow. There are three main types. In essential thrombocythaemia, too many platelets are produced. In polycythaemia vera, too many red blood cells are produced. In(...)
- MyosarcomaCancer of a muscle.