Letter R

Radiation therapy/radiotherapy X-ray treatment that uses high energy rays to damage or kill cancer cells.

Radiologist/ Radiographer A doctor who specialises in the use of x-rays to diagnose and treat disease.

Rectum The lower part of the intestine.

Recurrent cancer Cancer that has returned to the same or nearby site after a period of remission.

Red blood cells (Erythrocytes) Cells in the blood that carry oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues of the body. They also carry away carbon dioxide, a waste product of cell activity.

Red blood count (RBC) The number of red blood cells seen in a blood sample.

Regional chemotherapy Chemotherapy that is placed directly into the area to be treated, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas.

Regression The shrinking of a tumour.

Relapse The reappearance of a disease after it appears to have gone away.

Remission Complete or partial disappearance of the signs and symptoms of disease.

Retroperitoneal lymph nodes Lymph nodes outside or behind the peritoneum (the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen).

Risk factor Anything that increases a person's chances of developing cancer, for example, smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer.

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