Renal Cancer Clinical Quality Performance Indicators: Engagement Document

See Cryotherapy and Radiofrequency Ablation

Closely watching a patient's condition but not giving treatment unless there are changes in test results. It is used to find early signs that the condition is getting worse.

Treatment directed to cure the disease.

The study of the structure of a plant or animal.

A benign (non-cancerous) tumour of the kidney.

Any treatment which is designed to kill cancer cells.

Removal of a sample of tissue from the body to assist in diagnosis of a disease.

Having to do with the heart and blood vessels.

Long term kidney problems.

The most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma/renal cancer.

Measure of the extent to which a particular intervention works.

A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches or medicines work. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease.

An x-ray imaging technique, which allows detailed investigation of the internal organ of the body.

Referring to the opposite side of the body.

The gradual return to health and strength after an illness.

Value for money

The term used to cover different techniques (e.g. CT) which produce cross-sectional images of the body.
See Computed Tomography ( CT)

A treatment which aims to eradicate cancer by freezing.

Treatment which is given with the aim of curing the cancer.

The study of the structure and function of cells under the microscope, and of their abnormalities.

The process of identifying a disease, such as cancer, from its signs and symptoms.

The process of filtering the blood when the kidneys are not able to cleanse it.

An elective procedure is one that is chosen by the patient or doctor that is advantageous to the patient but is not urgent.

Initial treatment used to reduce a cancer.

A specific grading system for clear cell renal cancer. See Grading.

The degree of malignancy of a tumour, i.e. how closely the cancer cells look like normal kidney cells.

The study of the structure, composition and function of tissues under the microscope, and their abnormalities.

Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. Also used to lessen the side-effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments.

A substance administered intra venously (directly into bloodstream) to enhance the visibility of structures on imaging.

Cancer that can or has spread from its histological original site.

One of a pair of organs in the abdomen. Kidneys remove waste from the blood (as urine), produce erythropoietin (a substance that stimulates red blood cell production), and play a role in blood pressure regulation.

Surgery performed using a laparoscope; a special type of endoscope inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall.

Tumour, mass, or other abnormality.

Approved use of a drug/treatment (by the Scottish Medicines Consortium or National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence).

A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body. These pictures can show the difference between normal and diseased tissue.

Cancerous. Malignant cells can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.

Spread of cancer away from the primary site to somewhere else via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.

A procedure undertaken with only a small incision or no incision at all.

How much ill health a particular condition causes.

The science of the form and structure of organisms (plants, animals, and other forms of life).

Either (1) the condition of being subject to death; or (2) the death rate, which reflects the number of deaths per unit of population in any specific region, age group, disease or other classification, usually expressed as deaths per 1000, 10,000 or 100,000.

A meeting which is held on a regular basis, which is made up of participants from various disciplines appropriate to the disease area, where diagnosis, management, and appropriate treatment of patients is discussed and decided.

An independent organisation responsible for providing NHS England with guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health.

Fluid withdrawn from a lump (often a cyst) using a needle.

Surgery to remove all or part of a kidney. Radical nephrectomy removes the entire kidney, nearby lymph nodes and other surrounding tissue.

Partial nephrectomy (also known as Nephron sparing surgery) removes only the tumour and part of the kidney surrounding it.

Cancer which has not metastasised. Cancer which has not spread to any other part of the body other than primary site in kidney.

Surgery to remove part or all of an organ or a tumour and nearby lymph nodes. The incision is large enough to let the surgeon see into the body.

Anything which serves to alleviate symptoms due to the underlying cancer but is not expected to cure it.

Partial nephrectomy (also known as nephron sparing surgery) removes only the tumour and part of the kidney surrounding it.

The study of disease processes with the aim of understanding their nature and causes. This is achieved by observing samples of fluid and tissues obtained from the living patient by various methods, or at post mortem.

A measure of how well a patient is able to perform ordinary tasks and carry out daily activities. ( PS WHO score of 0=asymptomatic, 4=bedridden).

The original tumour.

An assessment of the expected future course and outcome of a person's disease.

Radical nephrectomy removes the entire kidney, nearby lymph nodes and other surrounding tissue.

A procedure that uses radio waves to heat and destroy abnormal cells.

The use of radiation (such as x-rays) or other imaging technologies (such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging) to diagnose or treat disease.

Having to do with the kidneys.

Cancer of the kidney/s.

An indication of how well the kidney is working.

The purpose of the SMC is to accept for use those newly licensed drugs that clearly represent good value for money to NHSScotland. SMC analyses information supplied by the drug manufacturer on the health benefits of the drug and justification of its price.

Substantial physical lesions which occupy space.

Process of describing to what degree cancer has spread from its original site to another part of the body. Staging involves clinical, surgical and pathology assessments.

Care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease. The goal of supportive care is to prevent or treat as early as possible the symptoms of a disease, side effects caused by treatment of a disease, and psychological, social, and spiritual problems related to a disease or its treatment.

Surgical removal of the tumour/lesion.

Treatment of cancer using drugs which induce a reduction in tumour cell population, for example cancer chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

Treatment, usually given by mouth or by injection, that reaches and affects tumour cells throughout the body rather than targeting one specific area.

TNM classification provides a system for staging the extent of cancer. T refers to the size of the primary tumour. N refers to the involvement of the lymph nodes. M refers to the presence of metastases or distant spread of the disease.

Cancer which develops in cells, known as transitional cells, which form the lining of the bladder, ureters and renal pelvis.

Removal of the tumour mass.

Unable to be removed by surgery.

Hollow muscular tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

Arrangement of blood vessels in the body.