Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with C

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C (cytosine)

C (cytosine): C stands for cytosine, one member of the base pair G-C (guanine-cytosine) in DNA. The other base pair in DNA is A-T (adenine-thymine).
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CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)

CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft): Coronary artery disease develops because of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that supply blood to the heart muscle. Diagnostic tests include EKG, stress test, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. C
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Caesarian section

Caesarian section: Procedure in which an infant, rather than being born vaginally, is surgically removed from the uterus. Also referred to as a C section. As the name &Caesarian& suggests, this is not exactly a new procedure. It was done in a
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Calcaneal spur

Calcaneal spur: A bony spur projecting from the back or underside of the heel bone (the calcaneus) that often makes walking painful. A calcaneal spur is also called a heel spur. Spurs at the back of the heel are associated with inflammation of the A
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Calcific bursitis

Calcific bursitis: A bursa is a thin fluid-filled sac that reduces friction forces between tissues of the body. Chronic (repeated of long-standing) inflammation of the bursa (bursitis) can lead to calcification of the bursa. This is referred to as &quo
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Calcium

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones. Bone is a storage area for calcium. Calcium is added to bone by cells called osteoblasts. It is removed from bone by cells called osteoclasts. Calcium is not just essential for healthy bones. I
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Calcium deficiency

Calcium deficiency: A low blood calcium (hypocalcemia) makes the nervous system highly irritable with tetany (spasms of the hands and feet, muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, overly active reflexes, etc.). Chronic calcium deficiency contributes to poor m
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Calcium excess

Calcium excess: Overly high intake of calcium (hypercalcemia) may cause muscle weakness and constipation, affect the conduction of electrical impulses in the heart (heart block) lead to calcium stones in the urinary tract, impair kidney function (throu
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Calculi, renal

Calculi, renal: Kidney stones, by another name. A common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Occurs in 1 in 20 people at some time in their life. Development of the stones is related to decreased urine volume or
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Calipers, skin

Calipers, skin: Calipers are instruments used to measure the diameter of an object. (The word &calipers& is a corruption of &caliber&). The skin fold thickness in several parts of the body can be measured with calipers, a metal or p
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Callus

Callus: The word "callus" has several meanings: 1) A callus or callosity is a localized firm thickening of the upper layer of skin as a result of repetitive friction. A callus on the skin of the foot has become thick and hard from rubbing (as a re
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Cancer

Cancer: Also called malignancy. Cancer refers to a abnormal growths which have a tendency to grow uncontrolled and metastasize. It can involve any tissue of the body and can have many different forms in each body area. Cancer is a group of more than 10
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Cancer detection

Cancer detection: Methods used to find cancer in persons who may or may not have symptoms. Symptoms of cancer are abnormal sensations or conditions that persons can notice that are a result of the cancer. It is important to your doctor for regular chec
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Cancer Institute, National

Cancer Institute, National: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. The mission of the NCI is to ôlead a national effort to reduce the burden of cancer morbidity and mortality and ultimat
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Cancer symptoms

Cancer symptoms: Abnormal sensations or conditions that persons can notice that are a result of a cancer. It is important to see your doctor for regular checkups and not wait for problems to occur. But you should also know that the following symptoms m
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Cancer, bladder

Cancer, bladder: Cancer of the organ responsible for temporarily holding urine after it leaves the kidneys. The most common warning sign of cancer in the bladder (the hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine) is blood in the urine. The diagn
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Cancer, bone

Cancer, bone: Cancer of the skeleton. Cancers that begin in bone are rare but it is not unusual for cancers to spread (metastasize) to bone from other parts of the body. This is not called bone cancer, but is named for the organ or tissue in which the
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Cancer, brain

Cancer, brain: Cancer of the central information processing center of the body. Tumors in the brain can be malignant or benign and can occur at any age. Primary brain tumors initially form in the brain tissue. Secondary brain tumors are cancers that ha
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Cancer, breast

Cancer, breast: Cancer of the tissue containing or involving the milk glands (mammary tissue). Breast cancer is diagnosed with self- and physician- examination of the breasts, mammography, ultrasound testing, and biopsy. There are many types of breast
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Cancer, breast, familial

Cancer, breast, familial: A number of factors have been identified that increase the risk of breast cancer. One of the strongest of these risk factors is the history of breast cancer in a relative. About 15-20% of women with breast cancer have such a f
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