The body's natural defence system. It protects against anything it recognises as an 'invader', for example bacteria, viruses, transplanted organs and tissues, tumour cells and parasites.

When the body's immune system is deliberately suppressed (for example, when a person receives an organ or tissue transplant) by the use of immunosuppressive drugs or medicines given to reduce the possibility that the immune system in the host body will reject the new organ or tissue. A drug (medicine) is considered immunosuppressive if it reduces the body's resistance to infection and other foreign bodies. However, a side-effect of immunosuppression is that the person is also more likely to develop infections and cancers of the skin or lymph tissue.

A treatment that attempts to use the body's own defences to fight cancer by trying to strengthen the immune system so it will destroy the cancer cells.

see radioactive implant.

The number of new cases of a disease occurring during a given period (usually one year) in a specific population, for example, in Victoria the incidence of cancer (excluding basal and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin) in 1994 was about 364 per 100,000 men and 270 per 100,000 women.

1. Loss of control over the bladder and urine; wetting. 2. Inability to control bowel movements.

Where cancer cells spread into surrounding tissue. Also called local invasion.

A type of breast cancer that usually presents with a noticeable warmth and reddening of the breast skin. There may also be puckering of the skin and swelling of the breast.

A legal standard that requires a patient to be fully informed about the potential risks and benefits of therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the procedures of surgery before undergoing such therapy or surgery. Once they are aware of the procedure(s), the patient signs a form giving medical staff permission to proceed.

see intravenous access device.

The slow release of a substance into a blood vessel or into tissue beneath the skin. Drugs or intravenous feeding may be deliverd this way: see intravenous access device.

A substance in the pancreas which regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. If the body does not produce enough insulin, diabetes will develop.

Proteins produced by the body that can help the immune system fight cancer. Interferons can also slow the growth of cancer cells or make them act like normal cells. These proteins can be made in a laboratory and used in immunotherapy.

Radiotherapy using radioactive implants.

see bowel.

The most common type of breast cancer, which begins in the milk ducts: see breast. Also called ductal carcinoma, intraductal cancer.

A papilloma (benign growth, not a cancer) in the milk ducts of the breast. May develop into breast cancer: see precancerous condition.

Into a vein. An intravenous drip gives drugs directly into a vein.

A system for giving drugs directly into a large vein near the heart. It is used particularly for chemotherapy drugs (which can damage smaller veins), blood or nutrition (intravenous feeding). It may also be used to take blood samples. Cook's catheter and Hichman's catheter are two forms of intravenous access device. Porta cath is the trade name for a form of intravenous access device carried on the patient's body.

Also known as drug delivery system, central venous catheter, central line.

A cancer that has started to invade the tissues surrounding it.

Exposure to any form of radiant energy (or radiation) including heat, sunlight, x-rays, gamma rays. Radiotherapy uses irradiation with x-rays or gamma rays to treat cancer.

see intravenous.