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Diseases » Pancreatic cancer » Glossary

Glossary for Pancreatic cancer

Abdominal Cancer: Growth of abnormal cells (tumour) affecting the organs in the abdominal cavity; may be due to primary growth of a tumour or spread from another tumour (metastases, secondary tumour)
Abdominal Pain: A condition which is characterized by the sensation of pain that is located in the abdomen
Abdominal mass: Abdominal swelling with hard mass felt
Abdominal pain: A condition which is characterized by the sensation of pain that is located in the abdomen
Adenocarcinoma: A carcinoma derived from/within glandular tissue.
Analgesia: A condition which is characterized by an absence of pain
Ascites: Fluid accumulation in abdominal cavity
Cachexia: physical wasting with loss of weight and muscle mass caused by disease
Cancer: Abnormal overgrowth of body cells.
Chronic Pancreatitis: Chronic ongoing inflammation of the pancreas causing digestive complaints.
Chronic digestive diseases: Any disorder causing ongoing chronic digestive complaints.
Depression: Various syndromes with excessive anxiety, phobias, or fear.
Diabetes: Failing or reduced ability of the body to handle sugars.
Diabetic Diarrhea: Diarrhea that occurs in diabetics as a result of the damage done by diabetes to the digestive system. Digestive system damage is caused by intestinal neuropathy (damage to intestinal nerves) or bacterial overgrowth or both.
Digestive system cancer: A malignancy that affects the gastrointestinal cancer
Duodenal ulcer: A peptic ulcer is erosion in the lining of the stomach or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). The word "peptic" refers to pepsin, a stomach enzyme that breaks down proteins. If a peptic ulcer is located in the stomach it is called a gastric ulcer.
Functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor: Tumors that develop in the pancreas and cause excessive secretion of one or more pancreatic hormones such as insulin, somatostatin, glucagons, gastrin, ACTH (corticosteroids) and vasoactive intestinal peptidase.
Gastric Ulcer: A gastric ulcer is a break in the normal tissue that lines the stomach.
Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach lining
Glucagonoma syndrome: A rare condition characterized by a tumor which secretes glucagon and a characteristic spreading rash, diabetes mellitus and various other symptoms.
Hepatocellular jaundice: A condition which is characterized by jaundice due to injury or damage to the hepatocellular cells of the liver
Indigestion: Various eating symptoms of indigestion (dyspepsia)
Jaundice: Bile or liver problem causing yellowness.
Juvenile tropical pancreatitis syndrome: A disease that tends occurs in tropical developing countries. It involves calcification and chronic inflammation of the pancreas. The condition tends to affect mainly young people.
Li-Fraumeni syndrome: A rare inherited disorder characterized by tumor development by young adulthood.
Liver cancer: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver.
Lung cancer: Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. Most lung tumors are malignant.
Lymphoma: Cancer involving lymph nodes and the immune system.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia: A group of conditions that is characterised by the hyperplasia and hyperfunction of two or more glands of the endocrine system
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: Rare inherited disease causing tumors in multiple glands
No symptoms: The absence of noticable symptoms.
Pancreas conditions: Any condition that affects the pancreas
Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas causing digestive complaints.
Panniculitis: A group of conditions that cause inflammation of the subcutaneous fat.
Peptic Ulcer: Ulcer on the lining of the stomach or duodenum
Peptic ulcer / duodenal ulcer:
Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome: A rare genetic disorder characterized by the development of numerous benign nodules on the inside lining of the intestinal wall as well as excess skin pigmentation usually around the lips and inner lining of the mouth.
Portal hypertension: Portal hypertension may be defined as a portal pressure gradient of 12 mm Hg or greater and is often associated with varices and ascites.
Primary biliary cirrhosis: Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic and progressive cholestatic disease of the liver.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown etiology that is recognized increasingly in children.
Smoking: The smoking of cigarettes
Somatostatinoma: A very rare disorder where tumors in glands that produce somatostatin affect the secretion of the hormone. The tumor mainly occurs in the pancreas but can also occur in the intestinal tract.
Stomach cancer: Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs
Upper abdominal pain: The occurrence of abdominal pain which occurs in the upper abdoment
Upper back pain: Pain in the upper back region
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease: Genetic disease causing multiple benign tumors
Yellow eyes: Yellow color of the white of the eyes
Yellow skin: Yellow coloring affecting the skin
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: A rare disorder where excessive levels of the hormone gastrin are released into the stomach which increases stomach acidity which results in peptic ulcer development. A hormone secreting pancreatic or duodenal tumor is usually the cause.