Category: P

Symptoms related to a tumor that are not due to direct invasion by the tumor, but usually from substances secreted by the cancer cells of the tumor. These substances usually produce symptoms in organs unrelated to the site of the tumor. Paraneoplastic syndromes can play a role in the diagnosis of cancer, because their appearance…

Replacing a diseased, nonfunctioning pancreas with a healthy pancreas from a donor. The pancreas, located in the upper abdomen near the stomach, produces insulin to regulate sugar levels in the blood. In people with type i diabetes, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas no longer function. Most recipients of pancreas transplants are people with type…

Methods for controlling pain that has a limited duration (usually no more than 1 month), resulting from an injury, surgery, or illness. In most cases, acute pain resolves when the affected tissues heal. Cancer pain is generally classified as acute even though it may be long-lasting.  

A form of skin cancer in the area of the vulva. Symptoms include recurrent severe itching and soreness. Red velvety lesions with clearly defined borders or white patches may appear on the vulva, anus, vagina, or the area between the anus and vagina. It is diagnosed by biopsy, and surgical removal is usually required.  

Also known as PML, an aggressive infection of brain cells caused by the JC virus (JCV). In PML, JCV infects and destroys the cells that produce myelin, the substance that forms the sheath that normally surrounds and protects nerve cells. This disease develops most frequently in people who have compromised immune systems as a result…

Surgery to replace the clear outer covering of the eye (cornea). The donor cornea is taken from a recently deceased person who has agreed to donate his or her eyes after death. Penetrating keratoplasty is performed in people who have had diseases or injuries that scar their own corneas and leave them with little or…

Pain felt by a woman during arousal or during or after sexual intercourse; also called dyspareunia. The pain may occur at the vaginal opening, in the vagina, or deeper in the pelvic cavity. Pain can arise from such problems as insufficient lubrication during sex; vaginismus (tightening of the muscles of the pelvic floor); infections of…

The partial removal of the liver. A surgeon may perform this operation when cancer is contained within one lobe of the liver, in the absence of cirrhosis (a severe liver disease), jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes), and ascites (an abnormal collection of fluid inside the abdominal cavity). Complete…

A method used to suppress pain in children undergoing a surgical operation. Anesthesia in children carries a greater risk than it does in adults. Since children have a higher metabolism than adults and require more oxygen, they suffer brain damage more quickly if a complication during anesthesia stops their breathing. The heart in a child…