Glossary

The glossary explains some of the words used across this website and covers some key cancer and research terms, which primarily focus on lung cancer.

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Position statement

A concise summary of the political and legislative context, and existing evidence for a specific subject. Published by an individual or organisation, it reflects the consensus view on the subject.11

Precision medicine

A medical model that tailors disease prevention and treatment to the individual, taking into account differences in genes, environments and lifestyles.12 Also known as ‘personalised medicine’.

Prehabilitation

A healthcare intervention in preparation for cancer treatment focusing on mental wellbeing, physical activity, weight and nutrition.13

Prevalence

A measurement of the burden of a disease in a population. It is the number of people who have a particular disease per 100,000 population at a specific point in time or during a specific period.14 See also ‘Incidence’

Primary prevention

A risk-reduction strategy that targets individuals before a disease first develops. For example, interventions may be designed to prevent exposure to risk factors for lung cancer, such as smoking.8 See also ‘Secondary prevention’ and ‘Risk factor’

Programme design

The planning of an intervention. This should be based on the programme requirements as well as previous learnings, which together provide a clear framework for programme leadership and ways of working.15

Prospective study

A study that typically recruits a cohort of people before they receive an intervention, to see how they respond over a long period of time. These studies are designed to observe participant outcomes, such as new cases of lung cancer, and analyse this in relation to exposure to certain risk factors for a disease or an intervention, such as screening during the study period.16 For this reason, prospective studies usually have fewer potential sources of bias than retrospective studies.17 See also ‘Cohort studies’ and ‘Retrospective study’

Pulmonary

A term relating to anything that affects or might occur in the lungs.18

Pulmonologist

Medical doctor specialising in lung conditions. They diagnose and treat diseases of the respiratory system.19

References

  1. National Cancer Institute. NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.  Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms [Accessed 04/03/22]

  2. Baldwin DR, Brain K, Quaife S. 2021. Participation in lung cancer screening. Translational lung cancer research 10(2): 1091-98

  3. The Cleveland Clinic. 2023. Pathologist. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24616-pathologist [Accessed 03/08/2023]

  4. King G. 2016. Patient Navigators. Available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/12/patient-navigators.pdf [Accessed 04/08/2023]

  5. American Lung Association. 2022. PD-L1, PD1, TMB and Lung Cancer. Available from: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/symptoms-diagnosis/biomarker-testing/pdl1-pd1-tmb [Accessed 10/08/2023]

  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Health Interview Survey – adult tobacco use glossary.  Available from: https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/nchs/nhis/tobacco/tobacco_glossary.htm [Accessed 03/10/25]

  7. University of Utah Health. 2022. Tissue-mimicking phantom.  Available from: https://medicine.utah.edu/radiology/research/labs-groups/fus-lab/tissue-phantom [Accessed 10/08/2023]

     

  8. World Health Organization. 2020. WHO report on cancer: setting priorities, investing wisely and providing care for all. Geneva: WHO

  9. Abbott JH. 2014. The distinction between randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and preliminary feasibility and pilot studies: what they are and are not. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 44(8): 555-58

  10. International Agency for Research on Cancer. 2019. CanScreen5: Glossary and definitions.  Available from: https://canscreen5.iarc.fr/?page=help [Accessed 03/10/25]

  11. Jones A, Azam S. 2016. Process for developing Position Statements for Public Health Wales. Cardiff, Wales: Public Health Wales

  12. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. 2018. Precision Medicine. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/precision-medicine [Accessed 10/08/2023]

  13. Cancer Research UK. 2021. What is prehabilitation? Available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/prehabilitation/what-is-prehabilitation [Accessed 10/08/2023]

  14. Global Lung Cancer Coalition. 2022. Glossary.  Available from: https://www.lungcancercoalition.org/e-atlas/glossary.php [Accessed 04/03/22]

  15. Griffin E, Hyde C, Long L, et al. 2020. Lung cancer screening by low-dose computed tomography: a cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative programmes in the UK using a newly developed natural history-based economic model. Diagn Progn Res 4(1): 20

  16. Ranganathan P, Aggarwal R. 2018. Study designs: Part 1 – An overview and classification. Perspect Clin Res 9(4): 184-86

  17. Norvell DC. 2010. Study types and bias: Don’t judge a study by the abstract’s conclusion alone. Evid Based Spine Care J 1(2): 7-10

  18. Merriam-Webster. Dictionary.  Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/ [Accessed 30/03/22]

  19. The Cleveland Clinic. 2021. Pulmonologist. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22210-pulmonologist [Accessed 03/08/2023]

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