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Cancerhelp - glossary Category: Health and Medicine > Cancer Date & country: 11/12/2007, UK Words: 1261

Cryotherapy
Treatment using a cold probe to remove cells and tissue by freezing. Used to treat abnormal cells found after a cervical smear. Can be used in the treatment of other cancers, including prostate cancer and secondary liver cancer.

CT Scan
(CAT scan, CT scans) Computerised tomography scan. A scan that makes a picture of the body by taking a series of X-rays.

CT scanner
(CAT scanner) The machine used for CT scan (computerised tomography scan), which takes a series of X-rays and uses a computer to give pictures of the body in cross section.

Cumfy
(cumfies) Soft breast shaped pad worn in the bra after an operation to remove a breast until the scar has healed. Then a breast prosthesis will be fitted.

Curative treatment
Treatment which is aiming to cure a disease.

Curette
A surgical instrument shaped like a scoop and used to remove diseased or damaged parts of the body.

Cutaneous
Means 'of the skin'. So a cutaneous cancer is a cancer of the skin. The term 'cutaneous malignant melanoma' is used to distinguish between these cancers growing in the skin and malignant melanomas growing in the eye or internal organs.

Cutaneous T cell lymphoma
A rare type of lymphoma that affects the skin. It begins with red scaly patches forming on the skin. These may be very itchy. The two main types of T cell lymphoma of the skin are Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome. Often treated with ultraviolet light and with chemotherapy and steroids.

Cyclophosphamide
An anti-cancer drug (chemotherapy).

Cyprostat
A drug used to treat prostate cancer. Its full name is cyproterone acetate.

Cyproterone
(Cyprostat) Anti-androgen tablet (also called Cyprostat). Blocks the effects of testosterone (the male sex hormone).

Cyst
(cysts) Fluid filled sack or lump in the body.

Cystectomy
Operation to remove the bladder.

Cystic tumour
Type of tumour which looks like a fluid filled cyst. Cystic tumours can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer). They are most common in the pancreas, but can occur in other parts of the body such as the ovary and around the heart.

Cystitis
(bladder infection, UTI) Bladder or urinary tract infection.

Cystoscope
An instrument for looking at the inside of the bladder, the prostate gland and urethra.

Cystoscopy
A bladder test. A surgeon puts a tube into the bladder and uses it to look inside the bladder and urethra to check if there is anything wrong. You can have a cystoscopy under local or general anaesthetic.

Cytogenetic response
A way of describing how you've responded to treatment for some types of blood cancer. In chronic myeloid leukaemia (and some types of acute leukaemia), your blood cells show a gene fault called the 'Philadelphia chromosome'. Cytogenetic response means that treatment has reduced the number of cells with this abnormal gene. A complete cytogenetic …

Cytogenetics
The study and testing of chromosomes. Can find particular chromosome changes in some cancer cells to give a diagnosis and predict which treatment will work best.

Cytokines
A group of proteins that occur naturally in the body and carry out a vital role as 'messengers' in the immune system. The blood cell growth factors G-CSF and GM-CSF are cytokines. They tell the bone marrow to make more blood cells.

Cytology
Study of cells. Biopsies, urine samples, etc are sent for 'cytology', which means looking at the cells under a microscope to see if any of them are abnormal.

Cytotoxic
'Toxic to cells' - anti-cancer treatments are cytotoxic treatments such as chemotherapy.

Cytotoxic drugs
Anti-cancer drugs. Another name for chemotherapy.

Cytotoxic T cells
(killer T cells) Cells of the immune system that kill other cells foreign to the body (for example, bacteria, viruses and cancer cells). Cytotoxic T cells are a type of white blood cells.

Cytotoxic therapy
Treatment with anti-cancer drugs. Another name for chemotherapy.

Data monitoring committee
Group of appropriately qualified and independent people who oversee trials, make sure they are properly run and recommend whether they continue.

Daughter cells
The two identical cells that are formed when a cell reproduces itself by splitting into two.

De-bulking
Operation to remove as much of a large tumour as possible. This makes it easier to treat the cancer that is left.

Decortication
Operation to remove part of the outside layer of an organ, such as the brain, kidney or lung.

Delayed reconstruction
Formation of a new breast (reconstruction) carried out some time after the operation to remove the breast.

Dendritic cell vaccines
Dendritic cells help the immune system recognise and attack abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. To make the vaccine, scientists grow dendritic cells alongside cancer cells in the lab. The vaccine then stimulates the patient's immune system to attack the cancer.

Denial
Someone is said to be in denial when they cannot accept or believe what has happened to them.

Dental floss
Fine thread or tape specially made for cleaning between the teeth.

Depression
Low mood. A strong feeling of unhappiness that lasts for more than a few weeks. Can cause physical and emotional changes.

Dermatofibroma
A small red or brown, non cancerous lump on the skin.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
A rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that affects the skin.

Dermatologist
A doctor who specialises in skin conditions.

Dermis
The layer of skin just underneath the outermost layer (the epidermis). The dermis contains sweat glands, hair follicles (where the hairs grow from), blood vessels and nerves. It has an upper layer called the papillary layer and a lower layer called the reticular layer.

Descended testicle
A testicle which has moved down to its correct place in the scrotum. This usually happens just before or soon after birth.

Desmoid tumour
A tumour made of fibrous tissue. It has some features of a benign fibrous growth (fibroma) and some of a cancerous fibrous growth (fibrosarcoma). These tumours do not spread around the body but they can spread into tissues nearby.

Detection
Finding something, as in detecting cancer.

Diabetes
A disease caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin. Can be a feature of pancreatic cancer. Can also be caused by some types of surgery for cancer of the pancreas.

Diagnosis
Identifying a person as having a particular illness or condition, when this term is used in health care.

Diaphragm
(Pronounced dia fram). The sheet of muscle under the rib cage. Moves up and down when we breathe. Separates the chest cavity (containing the lungs and the heart) from the abdominal cavity (containing the organs of the digestive system).

Diarrhoea
Passing frequent, loose stools from the bowels.

Diathermy
(loop diathermy) A method of destroying abnormal pre-cancerous cells on the cervix. The abnormal cells are destroyed by a small electric current which the surgeon passes through the area.

Dietician
A person trained to give advice on diet during illness and using diet to manage symptoms.

Diffuse large cell
A type of lymphoma. The lymphocyte cells appear large under the microscope and are spread out rather than clumped together. This is a high grade lymphoma.

Diffuse mixed cell
A type of lymphoma. Under the microscope the cells are mixed small and large lymphocytes and are spread out rather than clumped together. This is a high grade lymphoma.

Diffuse small cleaved
A type of lymphoma. Under the microscope the lymphocytes appear small and have a split in them (cleaved). They are spread out rather than clumped together. This is a high grade lymphoma.

Diffuse type
Diffuse means spread out. Some lymphomas are described as diffuse and the cells are spread out when looked at under a microscope.

Digestive system
The system in the body that digests food. Includes the mouth, stomach, large and small intestines, and rectum (back passage).

Dimpling
Used in relation to breast cancer to mean obvious dips and puckering in the skin over the breast. Can be a sign of breast cancer.

Diptheria
(diptheria vaccine) An infectious disease. You can have a vaccination against diptheria if you are having chemotherapy.

Discharge
Abnormal leaking of fluid from a wound or part of the body - for example, vaginal discharge.

District nurse
(community nurse) A nurse specially trained to visit and treat people in their own homes. They can dress wounds, remove stitches and look after central lines. Some also take blood and give drug treatment at home.

DNA
Stands for DeoxyriboNucleic Acid. Genes are made of DNA. DNA is the 'genetic code' that controls how the body's cells behave by controlling the type of protein they make. We inherit half our DNA code from our mother and half from our father.

DNA vaccines
Vaccines made with bits of DNA from cancer cells. They can be injected into the body to make the cells of the immune system better at responding to and destroying cancer cells.

Dose of radiotherapy
Amount of radiation in your treatment. The total dose is the amount you have over a complete radiotherapy course. This is broken down into a number of treatments called fractions. Usually you have one fraction per day.

Double blind trial
Trial where neither the doctor nor the patient know which treatment the patient is having. This is done to try to prevent bias affecting the trial results.

Doxorubicin
An anti-cancer drug (chemotherapy). Is also called doxorubicin hydrochloride and used to be called Adriamycin.

Drug licensing
When a drug licensing authority gives a pharmaceutical company the go ahead to market a drug, the drug is 'licensed'. This is also called having 'marketing authorisation', being 'approved', or being 'registered'. The drug then has to be 'launched' in the UK before doctors can prescribe it for patients.

Drug marketing
When the drug licensing authority gives a pharmaceutical company the go ahead to market a drug, the drug has 'marketing authorisation'. The drug is then said to be 'licensed', 'approved' or 'registered'. The drug then has to be 'launched' in the UK before doctors can prescribe it for patients.

Dry ejaculation
An orgasm where no semen is produced. Men who have had their prostate glands removed have dry ejaculation.

Duct
(ducts) A tube or channel which carries liquid or chemicals from one part of the body to another. For example, ducts in the breasts carry milk to the nipple.

Ductal carcinoma in situ
(DCIS) A type of early breast cancer affecting the ducts of the breast. Means the cancer cells are all inside the ducts (channels) of the breast and have not spread into the surrounding breast tissue. This is important as it means the chance of the cancer cells having spread anywhere else in the body is very low indeed.

Dukes' A
Stage of bowel cancer. Means the cancer is just in the lining of the bowel and has not grown into the wall of the bowel.

Dukes' B
Stage of bowel cancer. Means the cancer is growing into the wall of the bowel. But there is no cancer in any of the lymph nodes around the bowel.

Dukes' C
Stage of bowel cancer. Means that at least one of the lymph nodes near the bowel contains cancer cells.

Dukes' system
Way of classifying bowel cancer according to stage. There are four groups, Dukes' A to Dukes' D. 'A' is the earliest cancer and 'D' a cancer that has spread.

Dumping
(dumping syndrome) Faintness and dizziness that comes on after eating. Caused by the stomach contents moving into the bowel too quickly. Can be a side effect of stomach surgery.

Duodenum
The first part of the small intestine, which lies between the stomach and the rest of the small intestine. The bile duct and pancreatic duct both open into the duodenum.

Duration
How long something lasts. Duration of treatment is the length of time your treatment lasts. Duration of response to a treatment means the time between having the treatment and the cancer beginning to grow again.

Dyskaryosis
Word used to describe abnormal cells. Means the nucleus of a cell looks abnormal. Mild, moderate and severe dyskaryosis are three levels of abnormality. They are not cancer. They are all phases of pre-cancerous cells which could go on to develop into cancer if left untreated.

Dyspareunia
Pain on having sex. Can be a symptom of cervical cancer or cancer of the womb.

Dyspepsia
Indigestion. May show as burping or heartburn or both.

Dysplastic
This means 'abnormal growth'. It can be used about cells - dysplastic cells are abnormal cells. You may also hear dysplastic cells called 'dysplasia'. Sometimes 'dysplastic cells' can be used to mean cells that are not quite normal, but not so abnormal to be classed as cancer cells.

Dysplastic naevus syndrome
(familial dysplastic naevus syndrome) A condition where the affected person has a large number of abnormal moles and a higher than average risk of developing malignant melanoma. If it runs in a family it is called familial dysplastic naevus syndrome.

Dyspnoea
Medical term for difficulty breathing.

Early breast cancer
Breast cancer that has not spread outside the breast or lymph nodes under the arm.

Early cancer
Means a cancer that has been diagnosed at an early stage. In other words it is a small tumour that has not spread.

Early cervical cancer
Means cancer that has not spread outside the area of the neck of the womb.

Early detection
In medicine means finding a disease as early as possible, perhaps before there are any symptoms.

Early menopause
(premature menopause) Change of life which happens before it naturally should. This can be due to some cancer treatments - for example, radiotherapy to the ovaries, or some types of chemotherapy treatment.

ECF
A combination chemotherapy regime including three drugs: epirubicin, cisplatin and 5FU.

ECG
(electrocardiogram, heart monitor) A medical test that checks the health of the heart by taking an electrical recording of the heart beat. Small pads are stuck to the chest. Wires are attached to the pads. These are connected to a machine. Doctors can examine the trace of the heart beat to see if the heart is working normally.

Echocardiogram
A test of the strength of your heart using sound. It is painless and only takes about half an hour.

Ectopic pregnancy
When a developing baby starts to grow outside the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. Also called tubal pregnancy.

Ejaculation
The expulsion of sperm from the penis during orgasm.

Elective
This term means planned. For example, elective surgery is surgery that is not an emergency but has been planned. Can also be used to refer to other types of treatment.

Electrocautery
Using a needle heated by an electric current to stop bleeding or destroy an area of body tissue

Eligibility
(entry criteria) List of conditions that must be fulfilled in order to get into a clinical trial. For example, having a particular type of cancer.

Embryonal
Means 'of the embryo'. Embryonal cancers develop from cells left over from when the person was an embryo. Everyone has these cells, but sometimes they can become cancerous.

Emphysema
A lung disease causing chronic breathlessness and episodes of bronchitis.

Endobronchial therapy
Treatment given from inside the bronchi (main airways of the lung), for example, radiotherapy. A bronchoscopy is done and a radioactive source put down the bronchoscope. This can give a dose of radiation directly to a tumour inside the bronchus.

Endocervical canal
Area just above the cervix. Leads into the body of the womb.

Endocrine
Glandular tissues that secrete (make and release) hormones directly into the blood stream. For example, the endocrine gland cells in the pancreas secrete insulin into the blood.

Endometrial cancer
Cancer of the lining of the womb.

Endometriosis
A medical condition where womb lining tissue is found outside the lining of the womb, most often on the ovaries and the outer layer of the womb. Causes severe back and pelvic pain. Can be a cause of a raised CA125 level.

Endometrium
The lining of the womb.