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paediatrics [pae-di-at-rics] The branch of medicine concerned with children and their diseases.

palliative care When it is agreed that cure is no longer possible, palliative care, which does not try to cure the disease, aims to promote comfort, relieve symptoms, and maximise the quality of life. It seeks to address the full range of physical, emotional and spiritual needs of both patient and family:see hospice care .

palpation The act of feeling with the hand. Doctors frequently use palpation to examine the body.

pancreas [pan-cre-as] A thin, lumpy gland about 15 cm long that lies behind the stomach in the upper left part of the abdomen. The pancreas produces enzymes that help to digest food. It also produces insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the blood .

pancreatic cancer [pan-cre-a-tic can-cer] Cancer of the pancreas . It is more common in men and in older people, and is rarely found under the age of 55. There are two types: cancer of the endocrine pancreas, and cancer of the exocrine pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is often difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms (pain in the abdomen, loss of appetite, nausea, jaundice , weight loss) may also be caused by many other conditions.

pap test A simple scan test that can detect changes in the cells of the cervix (opening of the uterus). These changes are not cancer , but may develop into cancer of the cervix if not treated (see precancerous condition). Simple treatment can prevent the cancer from developing. The test involves collecting a few cells from the surface of the cervix and examining them under a microscope. All women should be tested regularly once they become sexually active. Short for Papanicolaou test, after the man who designed it, it is also called Pap smear, smear test, cervical smear.

papilloma [pap-il-lo-ma] A benign growth (not a cancer ) that may occur on the skin or on a mucous membrane. Papillomas may also occur in the bladder and in the milk ducts of the breast . Warts are a type of papilloma.

parotid cancer [pa-ro-tid] see parotid tumour .

partial cystectomy The surgical removal of part of the bladder.

partial laryngectomy [par-tial la-ryn-gec-to-my] see laryngectomy .

partial nephrectomy The surgical removal of part of a kidney.

pathologist A specialist who examines cells and tissue under a microscope.

pathology The study of the nature, cause and development of disease by examining samples of blood , urine, faeces and body tissues, using x-rays and other techniques, and carrying out autopsies.

patient-controlled analgesic (PCA) Pain relief that patients can control themselves. The patient is attached to an intravenous drip, and when necessary, can press a small device that will deliver a dose of a pain-relief drug through the drip. Delivery is followed by a lockout period before the device will deliveranother dose. PCA is often used to control pain after surgery.

PEG Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, also simply called gastrostomy. A tube inserted through the skin and abdomen wall, directly into the stomach, so that liquid foods can be fed directly into the stomach.

peritoneum [per-i to-ne-um] (adj. peritoneal) Membrane that lines the wall of the abdomen and covers the organs within it.

PET scan (positron emission tomography) A technique that is used to build up clear and detailed pictures of the body. The person is injected with a glucose solution containing a very small amount of radioactive material. The scanner can 'see' the radioactive substance, and this shows where healthy cells are using the glucose in the body. Damaged or cancerous cells show up as areas where the gluscose is being used.

pharynx [pha-rynx] The throat; a tube with walls of muscle lined with mucous membrane that extends from the back of the nose to the top of the oesophagus .

plasma A straw-coloured liquid that forms the fluid part of blood . The blood cells and platelets are suspended in the plasma. It also contains substances to make the blood clot, to restrict bleeding: see serum .

plasma exchange A procedure to remove some constituents or elements from the blood, when the paraprotein level is high and interfering with blood circulation.

plasmapheresis [plas-ma phe-re-sis] A process that may be used in the treatment of multiple myeloma and macroglobulinaemia, a related disease. The blood is pumped slowly from the body through a vein in one arm and passed through a machine that spins off the plasma and the abnormal proteins it contains. The remaining blood cells , along with replacement plasma from a donor , is then returned to the body through a vein in the other arm.

plastic surgery A branch of surgery concerned with reconstructing damaged or deformed parts of the body, or rebuilding parts that have been lost: see reconstructive surgery .

platelets [plate-lets] Tiny disc-shaped structures in the blood . Their several functions are all to do with the blood's ability to clot and stop bleeding. Also known as thrombocytes.

pneumonectomy [pneu-mo-nec-to-my] The removal by surgery of an entire lung.

polyp [po-lyp] An abnormal growth projecting from one of the body's mucous membranes. The most common places they are found include the nose, colon , and bladder . Polyps are generally benign , but one type that occurs in the bowel , an adenoma , can become malignant (cancerous) over a period of many years.

porta cath [por-ta cath] Trade name for an intravenous access device .

precancerous condition A growth that is not cancerous (malignant), but which may become a cancer if it is not treated, such as adenomas , which may develop into bowel cancer .

primary tumour A malignant tumour (a cancer) starts in one site of the body where it is known as the primary tumour. At a later stage, cancer cells may break away from it and be carried to other parts of the body, where they may lodge and increase to form secondary tumours or metastases .

progesterone receptor test [pro-ges-ter-one] A test that determines whether a cancer relies on the hormone progesterone for its growth. If so, it may respond to hormone therapy : see hormone receptors .

prognosis [prog-no-sis] 1. The outlook or expected outcome of a disease. 2. The length of time the person is expected to live.

prostate [pros-tate] A gland about the size of a walnut found only in men, which produces the bulk of the fluid that makes up semen. In elderly men, the prostate often becomes enlarged, blocking the neck of the bladder and making it difficult to pass urine.

prostate cancer Cancer of the prostate gland is the most common cancer in men. It rarely occurs under the age of fifty-five. Symptoms include problems with urinating, and blood in the urine.

prostatectomy [pros-ta-tec-to-my] Surgical removal of the prostate gland.

prostate-specific antigen (PSA) Tests for PSA, prostate acid phosphatase (PAP) and serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) are routinely used to diagnose prostate cancer . The individual tests are not sufficiently reliable, but together they provide a good indication of whether or not cancer is present.

prosthesis [pros-the-sis] An artificial substitute for a missing part of the body, such as an arm, leg, breast, eye, tooth and so on. A prosthesis may be functional (an artificial leg), or purely cosmetic (a glass eye): see breast implant.

prosthodontist A specialist dentist who orders and fits the prostheses made by a maxillofacial technician to replace tissue of the mouth or face that has been removed.

protein One of a group of organic compounds of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Proteins are made in the body and are an essential part of it. The cells of muscles, tissues, organs, etc, are protein. So are enzymes and hormones

protocol A formal, detailed treatment plan used for groups of people with similar medical problems. Doctors follow set treatment protocols so that the results of different types of treatment can be compared, and the natural course of a disease may be better understood.

PSA see prostate-specific antigen .

PSCH see peripheral stem cell rescue .

pump A device that regulates the rate at which a drug is delivered. A pump is frequently attached to an intravenous drip to deliver chemotherapy drugs, or drugs needed after surgery. These pumps are relatively large, and sit beside the patient's bed. Small portable pumps, also known as syringe drivers, may be used in palliative care to deliver pain-relief drugs. The Grasby pump is the most common of these.