Medical terms - Letter C (page 4) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Cancer, pancreatic

See: Pancreatic cancer
Cancer, papillary

Cancer, papillary: Cancer of a structure called the papilla or ampulla of Vater, a small muscle located at the junction where the common bile duct (carrying bile from the liver and secretions from the pancreas) empties…
Cancer, penis

S: Cancer of the penis is a disease in which malignant cells originate in the tissues of the penis. Cancer of the penis is rare in the United States. Men who are not circumcised at birth may have a higher risk for…
Cancer, prostate

Cancer of the gland that produces some of the components of semen fluid. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death of males in the U.S. Prostate cancer is often first detected as a hard nodule during a…
Cancer, prostatic

Cancer of the gland (prostate) that produces some of the components of semen fluid. The second leading cause of death of males in the U.S. Prostate cancer is often first detected as a hard nodule during a routine rectal…
Cancer, rectal

See: Rectal cancer
Cancer, skin

Cancer, skin: Cancer of the outer surface of the body. The most common cancer in the U.S. There are many types of skin cancer. Ultraviolet light from sunlight is the main cause of skin cancer. Unexplained changes in the…
Cancer, small cell lung

A type of lung cancer in which the cells appear small and round under the microscope. Also called oat cell lung cancer
Cancer, stomach

Cancer of the stomach, the main organ that holds food for digestion. Worldwide, stomach cancer is the second most frequent cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer. It can develop in any part of the…
Cancer, testicles

Cancer of the male sex organ (testicle) that normally produces the hormone testosterone. One of the most common cancers in young men. Most testicular cancers are found by men themselves as a lump in the testicle. The…
Cancer, testicular

Cancer of the male sex organ (testicle) that normally produces the hormone testosterone. One of the most common cancers in young men. Most testicular cancers are found by men themselves as a lump in the testicle. The…
Cancer, thyroid

See: Thyroid cancer
Cancer, uterine

See: Uterine cancer
Cancer, uterus

See: Uterine cancer
Cancer, womb

See: Uterine cancer
Candida albicans

Any gene thought likely to cause a disease. The gene may be a candidate because it is located in a particular chromosome region suspected of being involved in the disease or its protein product may suggest that it could…
Candidate gene

Any gene thought likely to cause a disease. The gene may be a candidate because it is located in a particular chromosome region suspected of being involved in the disease or its protein product may suggest that it could…
Candidemia

Bloodstream infection with Candida, a yeast-like fungus. Persons at high risk for candidemia include low-birth-weight babies, surgical patients, and those whose immune systems are deficient. Treatment is with the…
Candidiasis

Overgrowth of the C. albicans yeast in the gastrointestinal tract, or infection of other body areas with this yeast. Vaginal yeast infections, some forms of diaper rash and other skin rashes that emerge in moist, warm…
Candidiasis, invasive

See: Invasive candidiasis
Candidiasis, oral

Yeast infection of the mouth and throat caused by the fungus Candida albicans; also known as thrush. Yeast organisms are part of the germs normally found in various parts of the body. They ordinarily do not cause any…
Canine genome

See: Dog genome
Canine heartworm

Dirofilaria immitis. See: Heartworm
Canker sore

Canker sore: A small ulcer crater in the lining of the mouth that is often painful and very sensitive. Also known as an aphthous ulcer. Canker sores are one of the most common problems that occur in the mouth. About 20%…
Cannabinoid

A chemical compound in cannabis. or marijuana. Tetrahydrocannabinol is one of the cannabinoids
Cannabinoid receptor 1

One of the two known receptors in the endocannabinoid (EC) system associated with the intake of food and tobacco dependency. Blocking the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) may reduce dependence on tobacco and the craving…
Cannabinoid receptor 2

One of the two known receptors in the endocannabinoid (EC) system. The gene encoding cannabinoid receptor 2 (CNR2) is located on chromosome 1. Also known as the CB2 receptor or CB2
Cannabis

The botanical name for the plant from which marijuana comes. Its full name is Cannibis sativa. Use of cannabis produces a mild sense of euphoria, as well as impairments in judgment and lengthened response time. Cannabis…
Cannonball pulse

See: Pulse, water hammer
Cannula

Simply a slender tube that can be inserted into a body cavity or duct. During the insertion of the cannula, its lumen (interior) is usually occupied by a trocar, a solid shaft, to stiffen it. The word 'cannula' is the…
CAPD

Central auditory processing disorder
Capillaries

Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels. They serve to distribute oxygenated blood from arteries to the tissues of the body and to feed deoxygenated blood from the tissues back into the veins. The capillaries are…
Capillary

One of the tiny blood vessels that connect the arterioles (the smallest divisions of the arteries) and the venules (the smallest divisions of the veins). The capillaries form a fine network in many parts of the body…
Capillary morphogenesis gene 2

See CMG2
Capitation

In U.S. health services, capitation refers to a fixed 'per capita' amount that is paid to a hospital, clinic or doctor for each person served
Caps

Abbreviation for capsules. One of a number of hallowed abbreviations of terms that have traditionally been used in prescriptions
Capsaicin

A component of certain plants, including cayenne and red pepper, used topically to relieve minor arthritis pain and nerve pain. Capsaicin is in creams such as Arthricare and Zostrix that are applied to the skin. It…
Capsid

The protein coat of a virus. The term capsid came in 1960 from the French capside, from the Latin capsa, case. See also: Nucleocapsid
Capsule

>In medicine, a membranous structure that envelops an organ, a joint, tumor, or any other part of the body. It is usually made up of dense collagen-containing connective tissue. >In pharmacy, a solid dosage form in…
Capsule of Glisson

See Glisson's capsule
Capsulitis

Inflammation of the capsule of the lens, joint, liver, or labyrinth. See also: Adhesive capsulitis
Captioning

The text display of spoken words, presented on a movie screen or a television (or another type of monitor), that allows a deaf or hard-of-hearing viewer to follow the dialogue and the action of a program simultaneously…
Car booster seat

A car seat for a child who has outgrown both an infant seat and a toddler seat. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that: > >All children 12 and under…
Carb

Slang for carbohydrate. Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principal types of nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Carbohydrates can also be defined chemically as…
Carbo-loading

An eating routine used by some athletes that involves downing large amounts of carbohydrates several days before a potentially exhausting endurance event. Carbo-loading has no known potential benefits for anyone except…
Carbohydrate

Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principal types of nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Carbohydrates can also be defined chemically as neutral compounds of carbon…
Carbohydrate intake, infant

Carbohydrates (glucose, lactose, sucrose, galactose, etc.) are sugars or several sugars linked together. Carbohydrates provide energy (calories) for the brain tissues, muscles, and other organs. Lactose is a…
Carbohydrates

Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principal types of nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Carbohydrates can also be defined chemically as neutral compounds of carbon…
Carbolic acid

A synonym of phenol. In dilute solution, an antimicrobial agent. First used to clean wounds and dress them by the surgeon Joseph Lister who reported in 1867 that his wards at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary had remained…
Carbon dioxide

A gas which is the byproduct of cellular metabolism and which collects in the tissues, is cleared from the tissues by the blood within the veins, is carried by the hemoglobin in the red blood cells, and removed from the…