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CA 125

Tumour markers.

calcification

Small deposits of calcium seen as dots on a mammogram.

cancer

A general term for abnormal cell growth and its uncontrolled spread. Cancer cells may grow into a lump called a malignant tumour. They may invade and damage surrounding tissue. Some may also break away from the original (primary) cancer and travel in the blood or lymphatic system to other parts of the body, where they form secondary tumours (metastases). The five main types of cancer are carcinomas, sarcomas, myelomas, lymphomas and leukaemia. Cancers at different sites in the body are discussed individually.

Any substance that can cause cancer.

Cancer that starts in epithelial tissue, that is, the tissue that forms the base of the skin and the lining of the body's inner surfaces (lungs, bowel, reproductive organs, etc).

carcinoma in situ

Cancer that involves only the cells in which it began and has not spread to nearby tissues.

Consists of the heart and a network of blood vessels. The cardiovascular system is responsible for circulating the blood around the body, which carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and removes waste products. Also called the circulatory system.

see CT scan.

A hollow, flexible tube through which fluids can be passed into the body or drained from it. Sometimes used for specialised tests. A urinary catheter is sometimes used for a time after surgery to drain urine from the bladder.

cautery

Destroying tissue by burning.

Cells are the basic building block of the body. They are microscopic in size. They contain cytoplasm and a nucleus enclosed within the cell membrane. The human body consists of millions of cells of many different types, each type specialised to perform a particular function. Skin cells, for example, are flattish and arranged in sheets; nerve cells are long and slender: see differentiated cells.

The process by which cells divide in two to reproduce and replace themselves.

The brain and spinal cord.

Of either the neck or the cervix.

see Pap test.

The narrow passage that connects the uterus with the vagina. Sometimes called the neck of the womb. See Diagram 3.

chemo-radiotherapy

A combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

chemotherapy [che-mo ther-a-py]

The use of special drugs (cytotoxic drugs) to kill cancer cells or slow down their growth (control cancer). Chemotherapy can also be used to relieve symptoms. The drugs used also affect normal cells and can cause undesirable side effects, so the dosage must be carefully controlled. Most side-effects can be controlled or prevented, and most are temporary.

Describing an illness that continues over a long time, with slow changes.

CLL is a type of leukaemia that usually occurs in older people; it is rare in people under the age of 35. People with CLL have too many immature lymphocytes in their blood. Also called chronic lymphatic leukaemia or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

The vessels and organs that enable blood to flow around the body.

Clinical trials test new cancer treatments or may compare existing treatments to determine the best way of improving health outcomes. The research is called a trial because it is uncertain whether a new treatment is better than existing ones.

Inflammation of the colon and rectum. The symptoms are usually diarrhoea and pain in the lower abdomen. In ulcerative colitis, ulcers also form in the area.

The colon is the part of the bowel between the end of the small intestine and the rectum. See Diagram 1.

see bowel cancer.

A surgical operation in which the colon is cut and brought to the surface of the abdomen to form an artificial opening (stoma) which allows the bowel to pass faeces for collection into a removable colostomy bag secured over the stoma.

The use of a colposcope to examine the vagina and cervix: see endoscope.

The term used to describe the people donating and receiving a tissue transplant or blood transfusion. If the two are compatible, their tissues and blood are very alike, which means that the recipient's body is less likely to reject the transplant by forming antibodies against it: see tissue typing.

Existing from birth. Congenital diseases or deformities may have been contracted in the womb or may have been passed on genetically by either or both parents. They are usually recognised at birth, but some congenital conditions, though present at birth, may not be recognised for some time.

core needle biopsy

The core biopsy removes a sliver of tissue for pathology examination.

craniectomy

A type of surgery to the skull where pieces of bone are removed so the surgeon may gain access to the brain. The pieces of bone are not replaced.

craniotomy

The surgical removal of a portion of the skull.

cross-matching

see blood typing.

Computerised tomography scan (formerly CAT scan) is a technique for constructing pictures from cross-sections of the body by x-raying the part of the body to be examined from many different angles. Radio-opaque dyes are usually injected or swallowed first to enable the body structures to show up clearly under x-ray. The x-ray information, which is fed directly into a computer, is used to build up detailed cross-section pictures of the body.

A cure in cancer means that there is no evidence of cancer being present and a person's illness has gone completely. The length of time for cancer to be considered cured varies, but at least five years remission is a minimum.

Of the skin.

An abnormal sac or closed cavity in the body. A cyst may be small or large, and may contain liquid or semi-solid material. There are many different types of cyst, arising in different parts of the body, with different causes.

Surgical removal of the bladder.

Inflammation of the bladder.

cystoscope

An instrument that allows the doctor to see inside the bladder. It also allows removal of tissue samples or small tumours. Cystoscopy is the name for this procedure.

Drugs or medicines that damage or destroy cells. Cytoxic drugs are used in chemotherapy, used to treat cancer.