Glossary
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As used in this web site and other DiagnoCure documents, the following terms have the meanings specified below.
- Amplification
- A technique allowing the making of multiple copies of a gene or of any sequence of DNA.
- ASR
- Analyte Specific Reagent: Active assay ingredients for sale to reference laboratories for development of a test under their label and responsibility with an FDA allowance.
- Antibody
- A protein molecule produced by the immune system that binds or interacts only with the specific antigen.
- Antigen
- Any of a variety of materials that induce the body’s immune system to produce antibodies.
- Beacons
- See Molecular beacons.
- Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH)
- A benign (noncancerous) condition in which an overgrowth of prostate tissue pushes against the urethra and the bladder, blocking the flow of urine. Also called benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH.
- Biopsy
- Invasive procedure consisting of the removal of cells or tissues for examination under a microscope. When only a sample of tissue is removed, the procedure is called an incisional biopsy or core biopsy. When an entire tumor or lesion is removed, the procedure is called an excisional biopsy. When a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle, the procedure is called a needle biopsy or fine-needle aspiration.
- Cancer
- A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
- Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
- A protein that can stimulate an immune response to certain tumors.
- Carcinogen
- Any substance that causes cancer.
- Chemotherapy
- Treatment with anticancer drugs.
- Clinical trial
- A study that tests how well new medical treatments or other interventions work in people. Each study is designed to test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease.
- Cystoscopy
- Visual examination of the internal wall of the bladder by insertion of a cystoscope, light-conducting fibres with lens, into the bladder through the urethra.
- Cytology
- The study of cells under a microscope. See also Urinary cytology.
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
- Linear sequence of chemical building blocks of chromosomes that store hereditary features.
- Detection
- Technique allowing the detection of amplified RNA.
- Diagnosis
- The process of identifying a disease by the signs and symptoms.
- Diagnostics
The art or practice of diagnosis -- often used in plural.
That part of medicine, which has to do with ascertaining the nature of diseases by means of their symptoms or signs.
- Digital rectal examination (DRE)
- An examination in which a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the patient’s rectum to feel for prostate abnormalities.
- DNA sequencing
- Determining the exact order of the base pairs in a segment of DNA.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- The United States regulatory body that oversees the drug and medical device development process. Most such products cannot be marketed for sale in the United States without FDA clearance or approval.
- Gene
- A gene occupies a certain location on a chromosome. It is a self-producing, ultramicroscopic structure capable under certain circumstances of giving rise to a new character, referred to as a mutation. Hereditary traits are controlled by pairs of genes in the same position on a pair of chromosomes.
- Genito-urinary
- Pertaining to the genital and urinary organs, urogenital, urinosexual.
- Genomics
Pertaining to the genome, all of the genetic information possessed by any organism. There are, for instance, the human genome, the elephant genome, the mouse genome, the yeast genome, etc. Humans and many other higher animals have two genomes, namely:
- A chromosomal genome which is in the nucleus of the cell; and
- A mitochondrial genome, which is outside the nucleus in the cytoplasm of the cell.
Together these two genomes make up the total genome. The study of a genome is called genomics.
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- Regulations for quality systems promulgated under section 520 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act.
- Grade
- The grade of a tumor depends on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumor is likely to grow and spread. Grading systems are different for each type of cancer. Grading evaluates the aggressiveness of the tumor cells.
- Grey zone
- Interval where the PSA levels are between 4 and 10 ng/ml. This is where the specificity of the PSA test is lowest.
- Immunocytofluorescence
- The labelling of cells with fluorescent antibodies especially for the purpose of demonstrating the presence of a particular antigen on cells in a tissue preparation or smear.
- In vitro
- In test tubes (outside the body).
- In vivo
- In the body. The opposite of in vitro.
- Incidence
- Number of new cases of a disease observed over a period of time.
- Marker
- A segment of DNA with an identifiable physical location on a chromosome whose inheritance can be followed. A marker can be a gene or a section of DNA with no function.
- Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA)
- Sequence of chemical molecules carrying the information of a gene and controlling the synthesis of a peptide (See also ribonucleic acid).
- Metastasis
- Cancer that is spread to a distant part of the body from its original site.
- Molecular beacons
- Molecular beacons are single-stranded oligonucleotides that contain a fluorescent dye on one end and a fluorescent signal quencher on the other. They are DNA probes that report the presence of specific nucleic acids in gene amplification assays.
- Molecule
- A chemical made up of two or more atoms. The atoms in a molecule can be the same (an oxygen molecule has two oxygen atoms) or different (a water molecule has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). Biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, can be made up of many thousands of atoms.
- Monitoring
- To watch, observe, or check closely or continuously the recurrence or evolution of a disease. Monitoring is a part of patient management.
- Monoclonal antibody
- An antibody produced by a single clone of cells comprising a single species of antibody molecules. A monoclonal antibody reacts with only one antigen (epitope).
- mRNA
- See Messenger Ribonucleic Acid.
- Mucin
- A protein compound made by some cancer cells.
- Nucleic acid
- A high-molecule-weight nucleotide polymer. There are two types: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are the building blocks of genes.
- Oncology
- Branch of medicine that studies cancer.
- PCA3 gene
- Formerly known as DD3, this gene is prostate cancer specific (i.e., found in prostate cancer patients).
- Pathology
- Branch of medicine that studies the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them.
- Peptide
- Molecule containing many amino acids linked together.
- Prognosis
- A forecast of the probable course and/or outcome of a disease.
- Prostate
- A gland found only in men. The prostate surrounds the neck of the bladder and the urethra. It produces enzymes and a fluid component of the ejaculate.
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA gene)
- A protein, more specifically, a serine protease enzyme synthesized by cancerous and normal cells of the prostate. It is secreted by prostatic epithelium in the seminal fluid.
- Protein
- Molecule consisting of a number of amino acid peptides. Proteins perform a wide variety of activities in the cell.
- Proteomics
- A scientific discipline that directly detects proteins that are associated with a disease by means of their altered levels of expression between control and disease states. It enables correlations to be drawn between the range of proteins produced by a cell or tissue and the initiation or progression of a disease state.
- Radiation therapy
- The use of high-energy radiation from X-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body in the area near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy, implant radiation or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body. Also called radiotherapy.
- Reagent
- A substance used to produce a chemical reaction to detect, measure or produce other substances.
- Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
- RNA acts as a messenger, an intermediary, between DNA and protein. The DNA of the gene is transcribed into mRNA, which then is translated into the sequence of amino acids that make up a protein (See Messenger ribonucleic acid).
- Screening
- Checking for disease when there are no symptoms.
- Sensitivity
- The probability that a test result is positive given the subject has the disease. Also called true positive rate (equals true positive divided by the added true positives to the false negatives).
- Sequencing
- See DNA Sequencing.
- Serine Protease
- A specific type of enzyme that breaks apart proteins.
- Specificity
- The probability that a test result is negative given that the subject does not have the disease. Also called true negative rate (equals true negatives divided by the added true negatives and false positives).
- Stage
- The extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body. Staging evaluates the infiltration of the tumor in the tissues.
- Tumor
- A swelling or morbid enlargement; a new growth of tissue or neoplasm in which the multiplication of cells is uncontrolled and progressive. Often referring to cancer.
- Urinary cytology
- The microscopic analysis of cells collected from a urine sample.