L

Medication to help stimulate bowels to pass waste.

Abnormality of a tissue or structure. A boil on the skin can be described as a lesion, as can a metastasis or spread of cancer.

Leucopaenia is a low white cell count. The white blood cells help the body to fight infection. If your white cell count is low (leucopaenia) you may become prone to infections and take longer to recover from them.

An inherited genetic change or mutation. Li-Fraumeni families are identified by having many family members with different types of cancer at a young age.

The section of a limb closest to the body. In the leg this is at the junction with the pelvis. In the arm it is the junction with the chest.

Short for linear accelerator, a type of radiotherapy machine.

The reappearance of cancer cells after treatment, at the same place it was originally found. This is different to metastasis, where cancer cells are found away from the original site.

The cancer has grown but has not spread or metastasised.

Removal of the tumour and some surrounding tissue. Usually in breast surgery where lumpectomy is now favoured over mastectomy.

Small bean-shaped glands made up of lymphatic tissue found in the groin, armpit, neck, abdomen and other sites. Some types of cancers (such as carcinomas) can spread to lymph nodes while others (such as sarcoma) rarely do.

Swelling of the tissues caused by blockage of lymph drainage that leads to fluid collection. This usually happens in the limbs and can happen after removal of the lymph nodes or radiotherapy. For more information see the patient information booklet on lymphoedema.

Cancer that happens in lymph nodes or in other lymph tissues. More information is available in the patient information booklet on lymphomas.