Acronyms and Abbreviations
Editor's Note: The following list was created many years ago as an assist to new users of the Prostate Problems Mail List. It is no longer maintained because it was incorporated into the PCRI Glossary.
These acronyms and abbreviations sometimes appear in messages(sometimes in lower case letters). When using a new or unusual acronym or abbreviation, authors are encouraged to spell out the phrase and put the acronym or abbreviation in parenthesis the first time it is used (e.g., The diploid index number (DIN) was found to be …).
3DXRT – 3-dimensional external radiation therapy
3DCRT – 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy
5AR – 5 alpha reductase
A – aneuploid
A1,A2 – see staging
AAT – androgen ablation therapy
AAWR – antiandrogen withdrawal response
ABDCTSCAN – abdominal CAT scan
ACTH – adrenal corticotrophic hormone
ADT – androgen deprivation therapy
AG – aminoglutethemide
AFUD – American Federation for Urologic Disease
ALK PHOS – alkaline phosphatase
ALT – alanine aminotransferase
ANEUP – aneuploid
AST – aspartate aminotransferase
AT – aneuploid/tetraploid
AUA – American Urological Association
B0-B2 – see staging
BILI – bilirubin
BP – Bluestein prediction
BPH – benign prostatic hyperplasia (also hypertrophy)
BPSA – baseline PSA (e.g., prior to dianosis)
BRACHY – brachytherapy
BS – bone scan
BTW – by the way
BUN – blood urea nitrogen
B/P – blood pressure
BX – biopsy
C1,C2 – see staging
CAB – complete androgen blockade
CaP – cancer of the prostate
CAT SCAN – computerized axial tomography (see CT scan)
CBC – complete blood count
CDUS – color-flow Doppler ultrasound
CEA – carcinoembryonic antigen
CGA – chromogranin A
CHB – combined hormone blockade (CHT, CHB2, CHT2)
CHB2 – CHB with 2 medications (e.g., Lupron + Casodex)
CHB3 – CHB with 3 medications (e.g. CHB2 + Proscar)
CHBNDT – CHB non-detectable [PSA] time
CHEMO – chemotherapy
CHT – combined hormonal therapy or treatment (CHB)
CHTx3 or CHT3 – see CHB3
CIS – cancer information service (of NCI) 1-800-4-CANCER
CPA – cyproterone acetate
CP – capsular penetration
CREAT – creatinine
CRYO – cryotherapy, cryoablation, cryosurgery
CS – clinical stage
CT SCAN – computerized tomography (also known as CAT scan)
D – diploid
D0-D3 – see staging
DES – diethylstilbestrol
DHEA – dihydroepiandrosterone
DHEA-S – DHEA-sulfate
DHT – dihydrotestosterone
DI – diploid index
DIP – diploid
DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid
DRE – digital rectal examination
DX – diagnosis
DXM – dexamethasone (Decadron)
EBR – external beam radiation
EBRT – external beam radiation therapy
EKG – electrocardiogram
ELISA – enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
EPO – erythropoeitin (Procrit, Epogen)
EXBT – external beam therapy
EXRT – external radiation therapy
FDA – Food and Drug Administration (USA)
FYA – for your amusement
FYI – for your information
G – Gleason's score
GG – Gleason's grade
GnRH – gonadotropin-releasing hormone
GP – general practitioner
GS – Gleason's score
HC – hydrocortisone
HCT – hemotocrit
HDK – high dose ketoconazole (brand name Nizoral)
HGB – hemoglobin
HMO – health maintenance organization
HPF – high powered field (under a microscope)
HRPC – hormone refractory prostate cancer
HT – hormone therapy
IAS – intermittent androgen suppression
ICHT – intermittent combined hormone therapy
IHT – intermittent hormone therapy
IMHO – in my humble opinion
IMNSHO- in my not so humble opinion
IVP – intravenous pyelogram
IV – intravenous, into a vein
LF – laser fulguration; also: left side
LHRH – luteinizing hormone releasing hormone
LNCap – cell line of human prostate cancer used in
laboratory studies
M0,M1 – see staging
MAB – maximal androgen blockade
MAD – maximal androgen deprivation
MCP – modified citrus pectin
MD – moderately differentiated, medical doctor
MRI – magnetic resonance imaging
N0-N3 – see staging
NCI – National Cancer Institute (USA)
NDPSA – non-detectable PSA
NEG – negative
NHB – neoadjuvant hormone blockage
NHT – neoadjuvant hormone therapy
NIH – National Institutes of Health (USA)
NL – nil (non-detectable response)
NP – Narayan prediction
NSE – neuron-specific enolase
ORCH – orchiectomy
P53 – p53 gene
PAACT – Patient Advocates for Advancement in Cancer Therapy
PAP – prostatic acid phosphatase
PC – prostate cancer
PCa – prostate cancer
PCD – prostate cancer [personal] digest
PD – poorly differentiated
PDQ – physician's data query
PIN – prostatic intraepithelial (or intraductal) neoplasia
PNI – perineural invasion
POS – positive
PP – Partin prediction
PPO – preferred provider organization
PRL – prolactin
PSA – prostate specific antigen
PSA II – prostate-specific antigen type II assay
PSA RT-PCR – PSA reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reaction
PSADT – PSA doubling time
PSAV – PSA velocity
PSM – prostate specific membrane
PSMA – prostate specific membrane antigen
PV – prostate volume
RP – radical prostatectomy
RPP – radical perineal prostatectomy
RRP – radical retropubic prostatectomy
RT – radiation therapy; also: right side
RT-PCR or RTPCR – reverse transcriptase polymerase chain
reaction
RT PCR PSA – reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reaction done on PSA
RT PCR PSM – reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reaction done on PSM
RX – prescribed medications
SI – seed implantation
T – testosterone, also tetraploid
T0-T4 – see staging
TAB – total androgen blockade
TETRA – tetraploid
TRUS – transrectal ultrasound
TRUS-P or TRUSP – transrectal ultrasound of the prostate
TTND – time to non-detectable
TURP, TUR/P – transurethral resection of the prostate
TX – treatment
TZ – transition zone (of prostate)
US – ultrasound
UTI – urinary tract infection
URL – universal resource locator; e.g., an address on the
WWW
WBC – white blood cell count
WBC/HPF – white blood cells counted per high powered field
(of a microscope.)
WD – well differentiated
WW – watchful waiting
WWW – world wide web, part of the Internet
XRT – external radiation therapy
YO – year(s) old
> symbol often used at the start of a line to indicate
that this line was written by the author of a previous
message. They may get stacked up (e.g., >>> )
if a line gets copied by more than one successive response.
>> << sometimes used instead of quotation marks to indicate
that this section was written by the author of a previous message.
<snip> means that something was snipped out of the
previous message to avoid unnecessary duplication
Acknowledgments
Many entries were taken with the generous permission of the following resources:
- Prostate Cancer InfoLink Dictionary, by Mike Scott
- Prostate Cancer Library, by Ron Koster: Glossary of PC Related Medical Terms, and Diagnostic and Staging Tests originated on the Prostate Cancer Bulletin Board on Prodigy.
- Steve Strum and Tom Brodzeller provided many abbreviations.
Ed Piepmeier, June 1996, January 1997
