On this page you will find a comprehensive list of medical abbreviations which you may find helpful. Also provided is a link to Glossary of Cancer related terms.

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Medical Abbreviations

5-FU: 5-Fluorouracil (anti cancer drug)
6-MP: 6-Mercaptopurine (anti cancer drug)
6-TG: 6-Thioguanine (anti cancer drug)
AA: Anaplastic Anaemia
ABC: Advanced Breast Cancer
ABMT: Autologous bone marrow transplant
ADR: Adverse Drug Reaction
AE: Adverse event
AFP: Alphafetoprotein - eg. expressed by germ cell tumours and other cancers
AIDS: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
ALAT: Alanine aminotransferase / alinine transaminase
ALL: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
ALT: Alanine Aminotransferase
AML: Acute Myeloid leukaemia
ANC: Absolute neutrophil count
ANED: Alive no evidence of disease
ANLL: Acute non-lymphatic leukaemia
ASR: Age Standardised Rate (Incidence)
AUC: Area under the curve
B-ALL: B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
BAER: Brainstem Auditory Evoked Responce
BCC: Basal Cell Carcinoma
BID / BD: Twice a day (bis in die)
BM: Bone Marrow
BM: Blood Monitoring (eg for glucose)
BMJ: British Medical Journal
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate
BMT: Bone Marrow Transplant
BNF: British National Formulary
BP: Blood pressure
BRM: Biological Response Modifier
BSA: Body Surface Area
BSE: Breast Self Examination
Bx: Biopsy
C/O: Complaining of
C/W: Continue With
C1 - C7: Cervical vertebrae (spine eg. C7 = seventh cervical vertebra)
Ca: Cancer; carcinoma
Ca: Calcium
cALL: Common ALL
CAT: Computerised axial tomography (scan)
cc: Cubic centimeter
CCF: Congestive Cardiac Failure
CCR: Continuous complete remission
CEA: Carcinoembryonic Antigen (tumour marker)
CGH: Comparative Genomic Hybridisation - cytogenetics method
CGL: Chronic Granulocytic Leukaemia
cGy: Centi Gray (unit of radiation)
CHF: Congestive heart failure
CLL: Chronic lymphocytic Leukaemia
cm: centimeter - 0.01 meters
CML: Chronic myeloid leukaemia
CMV: Cytomegalo virus
CNS: Central nervous system - the brain and spine
CPM: Cyclophosphamide (anti cancer drug)
CPR: Cardio pulmonary resuscitation
CR: Complete remission / complete response
CRA: Clinical Research Associate
CRC: Colorectal carcinoma
CRF: Case Report Forms
CRF: Chronic renal failure
CRO: Contract Research Organisation
CSF: Cerebro spinal fluid
CSF: Colony-stimulating Factor
CT: Computerised axial tumography (scan)
CT: Chemotherapy
CTC: Common Toxicity Criteria
CTO: Clinical Trials Office
CTX: Clinical Trials Exemption
CVA: Cardiovascular Accident (stroke)
CVC: Central venous catheters
CVP: Central Venous Pressure
CXR: Chest X-Ray
D/C; Discharge
D/H: Drug History
D/W: Discussed With
DCIS: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ - type of breast cancer
DDAVP: Desmopressin test for urine osmolality
DFI: Disease Free Interval
DFS: Disease Free Survival - time without disease prior to relapse or last follow-up
DI; Diabetes Incipidus
dl: deciletre - 0.01 litres
DLS: Date last seen
DLT: Dose limiting toxicity - determined by phase 1 studies
DMC: Data Monitoring Commitee
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA: Did Not Attend (clinic)
DNR: Do Not Resusitate
DOA: Dead on Arival
Dx: Diagnosis
EBM: Evidence-Based Medicine
EBV: Epstein-Barr Virus
ECG: Electrocardiogram - heart scan
EDTA: ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid - used in measuring kidney function
EEG: Electroencephalogram - brain scan
EFS: Event Free Survival - time from diagnosis to defined events (eg relapse or deat
EJC: European Journal of Cancer
EMUO: Early Morning Urine Osmolality (evaluating urine concentration)
ENT: Ear nose throat
ESR: Erythrocyte Sedimentation rate
F/H: Family history
FAB: French American and British classification scheme for leukaemia
FBC: Full Blood Count
FEV: Forced expectorant volume (a lung test)
FFA: For Further Appointment
FIGO: Federation Internat. Gyn. Obst. (FIGO Gynaecological staging system)
FISH: Flourescence in situ Hybridisation
FNA: Fine Needle Aspiration - a type of biposy using a thin needle
FU: Follow up
FVC: Forced Vital Capacity
g: gram - unit of weight
G-CSF: Granulocyte colony stimulating factor promotes production of white blood cells
GA: General Anaesthetic
GCP: Good Clinical Practice (guidelines)
GCT: Germ Cell Tumour
GCT: Giant Cell Tumour Context: bone tumours
GFR: Gromerular filtration rate
GI: Gastrointestinal
GM-CSF: Granulocyte and macrophage colony stimulating factor
GPR: Good Partial Remission
GU: Genito-urinary
GvHD: Graft versus Host Disease
Gy: Grays (units of radiation)
H&E: Hematoxylin and Eosin (stain)
H/O: History of
Hb: Haemoglobin
HCC: Hepatocellular Carcinoma
HCG: Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hormone)
HCL: Hairy Cell Leukaemia
HCO3: Bicarbonate
HD: Hodgkin's Disease (lymphoma)
HD: High dose
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HL-A: Human Leukocyte Associated antigens (HL-A matching for BMT)
HPV: Human Papilloma Virus - implicated in some gynacological cancers
HR: High risk
HRT: Hormone replacement therapy
HTLV: Human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus
ICD: International Classification of Diseases (coding system)
ICDO: International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (coding system)
ICF: Intercellular fluid
ICU: Intensive Care Unit
IL2: Interleukin2
IM: Intramuscular - into a muscle
INSS: International Neuroblastoma Staging System
ITU: Intensive Therapy Unit
IU: International units
IV: Intravenous - into a vein
IVP: Intravenous Pyelogram - type of Xray after injection with iodine dye
JCO: Journal of Clinical Oncology
K+: Potassium
kg: Kilogram - a thousand grams
l: liter - unit of volume
L1 - L5: Lumbar vertebrae 1 - 5 (spine eg. L1 = 1st lumbar vertebra)
LCH: Langerhans cell histiocytocis
LCIS: Lobular Carcinoma In Situ - type of breast cancer
LDH: Lactic dehydrogenase -high levels correlate with tumour volume in some cancers
LMM: Lentigo Maligna Melanoma
LN: Lymph Node
LP: Lumbar puncture
LVEF: Left Ventricular Fjection Fraction - a heart function test
LVSF: Left Ventricular Shortening Fraction - a heart function test
Lx: Lumpectomy
m: meter (unit of length)
M/H: Medical history
MDR: Multi drug resistant
MDS: Myelo dysplastic syndrome
mEq/l: milliequivalent per liter
mets: Metastases (where the tumour has spread to secondary sites)
Mg: Magnesium
mg: milligram - 0.001 gram
MI: Miocardial Infarction
mIBG: Radioactive Iodine Metaidobenzoguanidine (mIBG scans or mIBG therapy).
ml: millilitre 0.001 liter
MM: Malignant Melanoma
mM: millimole
mm: millimeter - 0.001 meters
MM: Multiple Myeloma
mOsm: milliosmole
MPO: Medical and Pediatric Oncology (journal)
MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging (scan)
MSSU: Mid stream specimen urine
MTD: Maximum tolerated dose - phase 1 studies
MTX: Methotrexate (anti cancer drug)
MUD: Matched Urelated Donor - for bone marrow transplant
Mx: Mastectomy
N/V: Nausea and vomiting
Na+: Sodium
NAD: No Abnormality Detected
NBM: Nil by mouth
NED: No evidence of disease
ng: nanogram - 0.000000001 gram
NHL: Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
NK: Natural Killer cells (large lymphocytes, part of the immune system)
NK: Not known
NM: Nodular Melanoma
NMR: Nuclear magnetic resonance (scan)
NMSC: Non Melanoma Skin Cancer
NOS: Not otherwise specified (see ICDO)
NPC: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
NSCLC: Non-small cell lung cancer
NSE: Neuron-Specific Enolase - a neural marker
NSR: Non significant result
NSR: Normal Sinus Rhythem
O/E: On Examination
OS: Overall Survival
OS: Osteogenic sarcoma (context bone tumours)
PBSC: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (see PBSCT)
PBSCH: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Harvest
PBSCT: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant
PD: Progressive disease
PDQ: Physician's Data Query (CancerNet)
PET: Positron Emmission Tomography- a scan after a small radioactive injection.
PFS: Progression Free Survival
pg: picogram - 0.000000000001 gram
pH: hydrogen-ion concentration - acid / alkaline
PH: Past History
PNET: Primitive neuroectodermal tumour Context: CNS tumours
PNET: Peripheral neuroectodermal tumour Context: Bone tumours - see Ewing's tu
PNS: Peripheral nervous system - nervous system outside the brain and spine.
PR: Partial Responce / Partial Remission
PR: per rectum
prn: as required
prn: whenever necessary (pro re nata)
PSA: prostate-specific antigen - PSA test used in screening for prostate cancer
PUD: Peri-Urethral Diathermy (associated with superficial bladder cancer)
QALY: Quality-Adjusted Life Year
qid: Four times a day (quater in die)
QoL: Quality of Life
RBC: Red blood cell / red blood count
RCT: Randomised Controlled Trial
RFS: Relapse free survival - Time from diagnosis to relapse or death.
RNA: ribonucleic acid
RT: Radiotherapy
RTPCR: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
Rx: Treatment
SA: Surface area (see BSA)
SAE: Serious Adverse Event
SC: Subcutaneous
SCC: Squamous Cell Carcinoma
SCLC: Small cell lung cancer
SD: Stable Disease
SDV: Source Data Verification
SGOT: Serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase - a liver function test
SGPT: Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase - a liver function test
SH: Social history
SHO: Senior House Officer
SIADH: Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone
SOB: Short of breath
SSM: Superficial Spreading Melanoma
T1 - T12: Thoracic vertebrae 1-12 (spine eg. T10 = tenth thoracic vertibra)
TBI: Total body irradiation
TCP; Thrombocytopenia
tds / tid: Three times a day (ter in die)
TNF: Tumour Necrosis Factor
TNM: Staging system - primary tumour
TPN: total parenteral nutrition
TRK: Transketolase
U&Es: Urea and Electrolites
UA: Urine analysis
ug: microgram - 0.000001 gram
ULN: Upper Limits of Normal
URTI: Upper respiratory tract infection
US: Ultasound (scan)
UTI: Urinary Tract Infection
UVR: Ultra Violet Radiation
VEF: Ventricular ejection fraction (tests lung function)
VM-26: Teniposide (anti cancer drug)
VMA: Vanillylmandelic Acid
VP-16: Etoposide (anti cancer drug)
WBC: White blood cell count
WCC: White cell count
XRT: Radiotherapy
YST: Yolk sac tumour - another name for germ cell tumour