If you’re not sure of a meaning of a word your consultant says, or one you see in a leaflet or brochure, then click on the links below for further information. There is also a link back to the top of this page, by clicking “Top” in each section.
Or maybe you are looking for a drugs glossary related to NHL? If you are it is here.
So, click on the appropriate letter of the alphabet and away you go!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
O P Q R S T U V W X Y
All items marked * are gratefully reproduced from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Options by Lorraine Johnston, © 1999 with the full permission of O’Reilly & Associates Inc. The information contained is meant to educate and should not be used as an alternative for professional medical care under any circumstances.
But first, some unusual phrase you may come across. There are a few specific words and phrases that may be jarring because they mean something other in medicine than they do in everyday usage. Do not be worried or confused, just check it here first!
Anecdotal*
Impressive or not impressive*
Morbid or morbidity*
The patient denies*
Tolerable*
Anecdotal*
When used in a medical context, it does not mean a funny story. It means a single case report not yet substantiated by studies using large numbers of people.
Impressive or not impressive*
When used in a medical context, it does not mean anything derogatory. It means that, when the patient was examined, a particular feature did not strike the examiner as overwhelmingly unusual. For instance, after palpating your abdomen, the doctor may note in your medical record that your spleen was “not impressive.” This means it did not feel enlarged, and that you did not report pain when she pressed on it.
Morbid or morbidity*
In a medical context, they do not mean that you have a neurotic outlook. They simply mean illness, and are somewhat the opposite of mortality. You might read, for example, that a treatment resulted in 20 percent low-level morbidity, but only 2 percent mortality. Likewise, comorbidity means the illnesses a person has in addition to cancer, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
The patient denies*This phrase does not mean that the doctor thinks you’re lying. It’s just used as the opposite of “the patient reports.” For instance, your medical record might read, “The patient reports frequent morning cough, but denies the presence of phlegm.”
Tolerable*
A word often used by medical staff to describe the side effects of treatment. Your idea of what is tolerable may be much lower than their definition, because medicine defines a tolerable side effect as one that can be ameliorated with supportive care and that does not result in permanent organ damage. For you, these side effects may be intolerable.