Active surveillance –  an option for patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Patients in active surveillance are monitored over time for any signs of progression. This involves regular tests performed and check-ups with the doctor. Discussions about treatment are advised if the disease shows progression.²⁰

Benign – not cancer. A type of tumour that doesn’t spread to tissue around it or to other parts of the body.²⁰

Biomarker - a biological substance that can be used to determine patient diagnosis, prognosis (the likely outcome or course of a disease), or response to treatment.²⁰

Biopsy - a type of test where a doctor takes a small sample of tissue from the area of the body where cancer may be present. The tissue is examined under a microscope for cancer cells.²¹

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) –  a type of advanced cancer that continues to grow even when the level of testosterone in the body gets reduced to very low levels through treatment. Many early-stage prostate cancers need normal levels of testosterone to grow, but CRPC does not.²²

Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) - an examination of the prostate in which a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the patient’s rectum for abnormalities (bumps or hard areas indicative of prostate cancer).^20,15

Gland - an organ responsible for production of one or more substances, such as digestive juices, sweat, hormones, tears, saliva, or milk.  Endocrine glands release the substances directly into the bloodstream. Exocrine glands release the substance into an opening to the inside or outside of the body.²⁰

Gleason Score - a grading system for prostate cancer cells ranging from 2 to 10 which indicates how likely it is that a tumour will spread. A low Gleason score means that the cancer cells are less likely to spread as they are similar to normal prostate cells. A high Gleason score means the cancer cells are very different from normal and are more likely to spread.²⁰

Grading - a system used for classifying cancer cells in terms how abnormal they appear when examined under a microscope. The purpose of the grading system is to provide information about the probable growth rate of the tumour, its tendency to spread and take into consideration for treatment decisions. The systems used to grade tumours vary with each type of cancer.²²

Hormone - a chemical made by glands in the body, which circulate through the bloodstream to control the actions of certain cells or organs. Some hormones can also be made in a laboratory.²²

Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) - a prostate cancer that needs androgens (male hormones) to grow. This type of cancer stops growing when androgens are not present. Reducing the amount of androgens in the body or blocking their action may be an effective type of therapy as many early-stage prostate cancers depend on androgen.²²

Hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) - prostate cancer that has become resistant and and no longer responds to hormone therapy.²⁰

Metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) - the cancer no longer responds to hormone treatment and has spread to other parts of the body. It can spread to nearby bones, lymph nodes, the bladder, rectum, liver, lungs and even the brain.²³

Lymph Nodes - also called lymph glands, are pea-size lumps of tissue located along the lymphatic vessels, a network of tubes throughout the body.^24,25 They are part of the body’s immune system and filter substances that travel through the lymphatic fluid. Lymph nodes contain white blood cells (called lymphocytes) that help the body fight infection.^20,26 In some cases cancer cells might break off the primary tumour and travel through the lymphatic system to other organs. If cancer cells settle in a distant lymph node in another part of the body it is known as secondary or metastatic cancer.^26,27

Metastasis - occurs when the original (primary) tumour spreads to other parts of the body. A tumour formed from this process is called a ‘’metastatic tumour’’.²⁰

Oncologist - a doctor specialising in treating cancer. Some oncologists specialise in specific type of cancer treatment. For example, a surgical oncologist specialises in treating cancer using surgery.²²

Prognosis - the likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery or recurrence.²²

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) - a substance produced by the prostate. An increased amount may be found in the blood of men who have prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, infection or inflammation of the prostate.²²

Prostatectomy - a surgical procedure performed to remove some or all of the prostate. Radical (total) prostatectomy is the removal of the entire prostate and some of the tissue around it.²⁰

Refractory -  in medicine this term describes a condition or disease that does not respond to treatment.²²

Remission - a decrease in, or disappearance of, signs and symptoms of cancer. In partial remission some, but not all, symptoms of cancer decrease or disappear. Although cancer may still be in the body, in a complete remission all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared.²²

Screening - checking for disease when there are no symptoms.²⁰

Stage/Staging - stages describe the extent and progression of the cancer within the body. How far the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.²⁰

TNM - a system used to describe the extent of the cancer in the patient’s body. T describes the size of the tumour and whether it has invaded to nearby tissue. N describes any lymph nodes that are involved. M describes metastasis (whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body).²⁰

Tumour - solid mass of excess tissue that forms when resulting from abnormal cell division. Tumours may be malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous). Tumours don’t perform any useful body function.²⁰

Urethra - the tube through which the urine leaves the body. It empties urine from the bladder.²²

Urologist - a doctor who specialises in diagnosis and treating diseases of the urinary and reproductive organs in males and of the urinary organs in females.²²