| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Physiotherapist |
A health professional who specialises in exercise and pain management |
| Platelets |
Blood cells produced by the bone marrow that help the blood to clot |
| pleura |
The membrane that lines the rib cage and covers the lung. |
| Pleural aspiration |
Removal of fluid from around the lungs to look for changes that may be due to cancer |
| pleural cavity |
The space between the membrane that lines the rib cage and covers the lung. |
| Pneumonitis |
A side effect of radiotherapy in which the lung becomes inflamed |
| Positron emission tomography (PET) scan |
A scan that uses a radioactive tracer to detect cellular changes in the body |
| Post-menopause |
The time after the last menstrual period |
| Pre-menopause |
The time when ovaries are functioning normally with regular periods and no menopausal symptoms |
| Premature menopause |
Menopause at aged 40 years or younger |
| Preventative (prophylactic) mastectomy |
Is the surgical removal of the breasts in women who do not have breast cancer. |
| Primary cancer |
The site of origin of a cancer in the body |
| Progesterone |
Female hormone produced by the ovaries after ovulation (egg production). When the ovaries stop producing eggs at menopause there is no longer progesterone production |
| Progestogen |
A chemical similar to progesterone – a hormone produced by the ovaries before menopause |
| Prophylactic oophorectomy |
Preventive surgery to remove either one or both ovaries in women who do not have ovarian cancer undertaken to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer (and breast cancer) |