The process of cells leaving the primary tumour, travelling to a new site in the body, and forming a new tumour, called a secondary tumour, or metastasis.

This occurs in CT imaging as metal has an incredibly high density, which heavily affects the x-rays travelling through it and this translates to a loss of information on the reconstructed images. At Fitzpatrick Referrals, we are lucky to have an inbuilt metal artefact reduction software on our scanner which really helps with this.

Initially given to a group of cells that can differentiate or grow into cells of mesoderm embryonic layer (although this is contended scientifically). MSC refers to cells that have been taken from a patient and grow on special plastic in a laboratory. This term is present in a vast amount of stem cell literature but is being superseded by more …

Defines a group of autoimmune conditions where the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system for an unknown reason.

Inflammation of the brain and its lining.

How long the ‘middle’ patient survives. For example if you have 100 animals that all have the same cancer and all have the same treatment, the median is how long patient 51 lives. This means half the patients live longer than the median, and half the patients live shorter.

The patella acts as a fulcrum during normal extension of the knee joint. It glides up and down within a groove that forms the front of the knee joint. In some dogs, the patella luxates (dislocates) out of this normal groove. The consequence of this luxation is an inability to properly extend the knee joint. As well as the lameness …

A rim of healthy tissue around the mass is taken at surgery to try and ensure all tumour ‘fingers’ or ‘roots’ are removed from the surgical site.

This refers to the ability of cancer cells within a tumour to detach from the primary mass and spread to a distant site; perhaps the lymph node, or distant organ, and develop into a new tumour(s) identical but smaller to the primary, but called a secondary tumour.

Lymphangiography is a technique used to identify lymph glands. We use this to identify the correct lymph gland to either sample or remove if there is a nearby cancer and it is especially useful if we are not clear what the nearest lymph node is. We most commonly perform lymphangiography using CT scans, but it can also be done with …

There are dozens of lymphoid glands around the body which are involved the body’s immune response, constantly monitoring blood and lymph flowing through them for abnormal cells, proteins, or other foreign materials. They are often the first site of cancer spread for many tumours. Many can be felt on a thorough clinical examination, and if they feel abnormal, a fine …

The lumbosacral (LS) junction is the juncture of the last lumbar vertebra (L7) with the sacrum (where the spinal column meets the pelvis and back legs).