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Glossary

Showing 291-300 out of 1156 Terms

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  • Crohn Disease

    (krone dih-ZEEZ)

    A condition in which the gastrointestinal tract is inflamed over a long period of time. Crohn disease usually affects the small intestine and colon. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and weight loss. Crohn disease increases the risk of colorectal cancer and small intestine cancer. It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Also called regional enteritis.

  • Culture

    (KUL-cher)

    A procedure using a sample of blood, urine, throat secretions or other biological material that determines the specific organism responsible for an infection. Cultures also help determine which antibiotics might be most effective.

  • Cumulative dose

    (KYOO-myuh-luh-tiv dose)

    In medicine, the total amount of a drug or radiation given to a patient over time; for example, the total dose of radiation given in a series of radiation treatments.

  • Cumulative exposure

    (KYOO-myuh-luh-tiv ek-SPOH-zher)

    The total amount of a substance or radiation that a person is exposed to over time. Cumulative exposure to a harmful substance or radiation may increase the risk of certain diseases or conditions.

  • Cumulative risk

    (KYOO-myuh-luh-tiv risk)

    A measure of the total risk that a certain event will happen during a given period of time. In cancer research, it is the likelihood that a person who is free of a certain type of cancer will develop that cancer by a specific age. For example, a woman with no known risk factors for breast cancer has a cumulative risk of getting breast cancer over a lifetime of 90 years of about 12-13%. This means one out of every eight women will get breast cancer by age 90 years.

  • Curative surgery

    (KYOOR-uh-tiv SER-juh-ree)

    Surgery to remove all malignant (cancerous) tissue, which is meant to cure the disease. This includes removing part or all of the cancerous organ or tissue and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed. Curative surgery works best for localized cancer. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be given before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain.

  • Cure

    (kyoor)

    To heal or restore health; a treatment to restore health.

  • Cyanotic

    A blue appearance of the skin, lips and fingernails as a result of low oxygen content of the circulating blood.

  • Cyclophosphamide

    (SY-kloh-FOS-fuh-mide)

    A drug used to treat many types of cancer. It is also used to treat a certain type of kidney disease in children. It is also being studied in the treatment of cancer. Cyclophosphamide damages the cell’s DNA and may kill cancer cells. It may also lower the body’s immune response. Cyclophosphamide is a type of alkylating agent. Also called CTX.

  • Cyst

    (sist)

    A closed, sac-like pocket of tissue that can form anywhere in the body. It may be filled with fluid, air, pus, or other material. Most cysts are benign (not cancer).