Back to Cancer Australia’s website
Search
(clear)
- Temporary infertilityInfertility that is not for ever. Some chemotherapy treatment can cause infertility while you are having the treatment. But your fertility can come back 6 months or so after treatment has finished. This will depend on the drugs, but also on other things such as your age and whether you are(...)
- Ten year survivalThe proportion (percentage) of people with a particular type of cancer who are still alive 10 years after the cancer was first diagnosed.
- TeratomaA type of testicular cancer most common in men between 20 and 30 years old.
- Terminal illness (terminally ill)An illness which will eventually cause death.
- Termination of pregnancyIntentional or planned end to a pregnancy (commonly called an abortion).
- TestesAnother word for testicles. Glands in the scrotum which produce sperm.
- Testicular cancerCancer of one or both testicles.
- Testicular microlithiasisA build up of tiny pieces of calcium in the testicle.
- Testicular prosthesisA fake testicle – a silicon ball put into the scrotum to replace a removed testicle.
- Testicular self-examination (TSE)A process of feeling one's own testicles for lumps or other abnormalities.
- TestosteroneThe male sex hormone produced by the testicles.
- TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration)The federal government body that approves drugs and treatments before they can be prescribed.
- ThalidomideInhibits blood vessel formation. Used in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
- The Australian Drug Evaluation CommitteeThe Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC) was formed in 1963 and given the role of providing independent scientific advice on new drugs, within the policy framework of the time, to the federal government.
- Thioguanine (Lanvis)A chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of acute myeloblastic leukaemia.
- ThiotepaA chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of superficial urinary bladder cancer.
- Thoracic ductThe main channel of the lymphatic system that returns lymph fluid (circulating tissue fluid) to the blood circulation. The thoracic duct joins the blood circulatory system just above the heart.
- ThoracocentesisTaking fluid out of the space between the tissues that cover the lungs (the pleural cavity).
- ThoracoscopyDoctors use this test to look at your lung or the lining of your lung (pleura) and can take tissue samples (biopsies) or suck out a sample of fluid. The doctor puts a thin tube called a thoracosope through a small cut in your chest wall.
- ThoracotomyA surgical operation to open the chest cavity in order to operate on the lungs.
- ThrombocytopeniaA low platelet (thrombocyte) count. This happens when platelets are destroyed in the blood faster than the bone marrow can replace them.
- Thrombocytopenic purpuraA low platelet (thrombocyte) count causing bleeding under the surface of the skin, which looks like tiny red or purple dots.
- ThromboembolismThe medical term for a blood clot.
- ThrushA fungus infection which usually affects the mouth or vagina. White patches appear and the surrounding skin is red and sore. It occurs most often in people with a low resistance to infection (eg after chemotherapy) or in areas that have been treated with radiotherapy (such as the mouth).
- ThyroglobulinThyroglobulin is a protein made by normal thyroid tissue. The thyroid uses it to make thyroid hormones. The level of thyroglobulin in the body can be measured with blood tests. These tests may be used to check whether thyroid cancer treatment has worked and whether there are active thyroid(...)
- TinnitusNoises heard in the ear without any external cause, such as ringing in the ears. Can be a side effect of some chemotherapy drugs.
- Tissue expander (tissue expansion)A type of breast reconstruction. The skin where the breast was is slowly stretched by an inflatable implant until it is the same size as the natural breast.
- TopicalPutting something directly onto the skin surface. For example, topical medication can be a cream applied to the skin.
- Topotecan (Hycamtin)A chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer and small cell lung cancer.
- Total androgen blockadeTreatment with anti androgens and pituitary downregulators at the same time. This completely blocks the production and effects of the sex hormones and is used to treat some prostate cancers.
- Total body irradiation (TBI)Giving radiotherapy to the whole body. This can be part of the treatment necessary for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
- Total laryngectomyAn operation to remove the whole voicebox (larynx).
- Total prostatectomyAn operation to remove the whole prostate. The lymph glands around the prostate are usually removed as well and then it is called a radical prostatectomy.
- ToxicitySide effects.
- Trachea (windpipe)The main airway that runs from the base of the throat down to the lungs. It divides into the two main bronchi (right and left) that supply each lung with air.
- TracheostomyAn artificial opening made surgically in the front of your neck, through the skin and into your windpipe. This allows you to breathe after surgery to your neck, throat or mouth. The hole is called a stoma. Air enters and leaves your windpipe (trachea) and lungs, through this.
- Tracheostomy tubeA plastic tube placed in your windpipe (trachea) after surgery, to make sure there is a good air supply to your lungs.
- Tram flapA type of breast reconstruction. Part of the rectus abdominus muscle in the abdomen is transplanted to the chest wall and used to create a new breast shape. Sometimes an implant is also used.
- Transformation zoneThe area at the opening of the cervix into the womb. This is the area where precancerous cells are most likely to be found during a cervical smear test and also where cervical cancer is most likely to start.
- Transitional cell(s)A type of cell found in the bladder. Transitional cell tissue can stretch, as it does when the bladder fills up. Transitional cell cancer is the most common type of bladder cancer in the UK.
- Transurethral resection (TUR, TURP)An operation to remove the part of an enlarged prostate which is pressing on the urethra (the tube which carries urine from the bladder out of the penis). The prostate is chipped away in tiny pieces and removed through the urethra so there is no scar. TURP can be done for benign enlarged(...)
- Trastuzumab (Herceptin)A monoclonal antibody that acts against the HER2 receptor on breast cancer cells. It is used in the treatment of breast cancer that overexpresses the HER2 receptor.
- Treatment angleA term used in radiotherapy planning. Radiotherapy is often given at an angle to the body rather than directly from in front or behind the patient. This is to minimise the dose of radiotherapy to major body organs as much as possible.
- Tretinoin (ATRA)Used in acute promyelocytic leukaemia for induction of remission.
- Trial centresThe hospitals that are taking part in a particular trial.
- Trial structureHow a trial has been designed.
- Tube feedingGiving liquid food through a tube. Can be either a tube from the nose to the stomach (nasogastric tube), or a tube that goes directly into the stomach from the outside (a gastrostomy tube).
- TumourAnother word for lump. Tumours can be benign (non-cancerous) or cancerous (malignant).
- Tumour flareA temporary increase in symptoms from a cancer after starting treatment. For example, prostate cancer symptoms may increase when treated with pituitary downregulators if anti-androgens are not given for the first few weeks.
- Tumour markersSubstances, usually proteins, produced by a tumour or by the body as a response to cancer. Some tumour markers are only produced by one type of cancer, while others can be made by several cancer types. Some markers are found in non-cancerous conditions as well as cancer. The markers can be(...)