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Red blood cell:
The oxygen carrying cell in the blood which contains the pigment
haemoglobin. Produced in the bone marrow.
Respiration:
The process of breathing.
Respiratory failure:
Oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained
within the body so the volume of air fowing in and out of the lungs is not matched
with the fow of blood to the lungs.
Secondary tumour:
Metastasis – the spread of a malignant tumour from its
original site through the bloodstream to one or more other tissues.
Sepsis:
Any form of infection.
Shunt:
A passage device allowing fuid to move from one part of the body
to another.Within this context a shunt between the ventricles (fuid-flled chambers
in the brain) to the peritoneum (the cavity within the abdomen) may be required.
This is known as a Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt.
Steroids:
Drugs which are used (in this context) to help reduce swelling and are
particularly useful to help symptoms due to raised intracranial pressure (fuid not
draining properly within the brain).
Symptoms:
When a patient notices a departure from normal feeling or function,
usually indicative of the presence of an illness or disease.
Terminal illness:
A disease which cannot be adequately treated or cured and
therefore leads to the death of the patient usually within a short space of time i.e.
a disease which will end the life of the sufferer.
Temperature spike:
When the body temperature suddenly goes up.
Treatment plan/protocol:
The treatment plan, or the protocol, is a plan for the
best combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and any other treatment needed
for your child.
Tumour:
An abnormal growth of cells.
White blood cells:
Cells in the blood which are most important in fghting infection.
Section 6