The Furry Monkey

TERMINOLOGY - M

Macrophage(s)
Type of white blood cell, part of the immune system. They ingest or engulf foreign organisms and send out chemical messages to stimulate immune response from other cells in the immune system when there are increased 'invaders'.

Magnet
An object, as a piece of iron or steel that possesses the property of attracting certain substances. The magnet used in MRI aligns the patient's hydrogen atoms so they are pointing in the same direction. Pulses of very specific radio wave frequencies are then used to vibrate these hydrogen atoms back and forth between their resting (magnetised) state and their agitated (radio pulse) state. The MRI equipment records the duration, strength, and source location of the signals emitted by the atoms as they relax and translates the data into an image on a PC screen.

Malignant
Cancerous. Malignant tumours can invade and destroy surrounding tissue and have the capacity to spread.

Mean
The same as an average.

Median
The midpoint. If eighty-one patients were treated with drug XYZ, and the time for white blood cell counts to recover following this treatment ranged from two to sixty days, after you rank the patients by the number of days required for their white blood cells to recover, the median is the number of days that it took patient number forty-one's white blood cells to recover.

Metastasis
The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another, by way of the lymphatic system or bloodstream.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan
An imaging technique used to visualise the soft tissue inside your body. MRI combines a powerful magnet with radio-frequency pulses. These collect signals that are then processed by a sophisticated computer to form pictures of inside your body. MRI gives highly detailed pictures of the soft tissues within the body, for example muscles and ligaments. This capability means Doctors can use MRI in a wide range of investigations: from slipped discs and brain tumours, to painful or injured joints to the assessment of blood flow. An MRI can provide important information about tissues and organs that is not available from other imaging techniques. It is similar to computerized tomography (CT scan) but uses magnets instead of x-rays.

Monoclonal Antibody
An artificially made antibody used against a specific antigen. Use of monoclonal antibodies is being researched to target chemotherapy or radioactive substances directly to cancer cells.

Monocytes
A type of leukocyte (white blood cell) that defends the body against bacterial infections. They also ingest aging and degenerating blood cells.

Mucositis
The medical terms for mouth sores. Inflammation of the mucus membranes (eg. the mouth) that causes pain, soreness, and/or excessive mucus production.

Myeloma
A cancer which is found in the cells of the bone marrow.

Myeloproliferative Disorders
Characterised by too many or one or more types of blood cells produced in the bone marrow.

Myelosuppresion
A reduction in the bone marrow's ability to make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.