Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «C»:
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Carcinoma
Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. For example, carcinoma can arise in the breast, colon, liver, lung, prostate, and stomach....
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Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ: Cancer that involves only the
place in which it began and that has not spread. Carcinoma in situ is
an early-stage tumor.
For example, squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen's disease)
is an early cancer of the skin. It develops from squamous cells which
are flat, scalelike c...
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Carcinoma in situ, squamous cell
Carcinoma in situ, squamous cell: An early stage of skin cancer. Also known as Bowen's disease.
This is a tumor that develops from the squamous cells which are flat, scalelike cells in the outer layer of the skin (the epithelium). The term "in situ" (borrowed from the Romans) means "in the natural o...
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Carcinoma of the breast, infiltrating ductal
Carcinoma of the breast, infiltrating ductal: Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is one of several recognized specific patterns of cancer of the breast. It is so named because it begins in the cells forming the ducts of the breast. It is the most common form of breast cancer, comprising 65-85% of all cas...
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Carcinoma of the breast, infiltrating lobular
Carcinoma of the breast, infiltrating lobular: Infiltrating lobular carcinoma is the second most common type of invasive breast cancer next to infiltrating ductal carcinoma, accounting for 5 to 10% of breast cancer.
Infiltrating lobular carcinoma starts in the lobules, the glands that secrete milk,...
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Carcinoma of the tongue
Carcinoma of the tongue: See: Tongue cancer....
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Carcinoma, ampullary
Carcinoma, ampullary: Cancer of a structure called the 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 into the duodenum (upper small intestine).
Because of its location, this cancer can cau...
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Carcinoma, basal cell
Carcinoma, basal cell: The most common type of skin cancer, a disease in which the cancer cells resemble the basal cells of the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin.
Basal cell carcinomas usually appear as the classic "sore that
doesn't heal." A bleeding or scabbing sore that seems to get
somew...
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Carcinoma, hepatocellular
Carcinoma, hepatocellular: A tumor in which the cancer starts during adulthood in cells in the liver. Also called adult primary liver cancer.
Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that has metastasized (spread) from another place in the body to the liver.
The signs and symptoms may incl...
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Carcinoma, islet cell
Carcinoma, islet cell: See: Islet cell cancer....
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Carcinoma, Merkel cell
Carcinoma, Merkel cell: An infrequent but highly malignant type of skin cancer. Characteristically starts in a sun-exposed area (of the head, neck, arms or legs) in whites 60-80 years of age as a firm, painless, shiny lump that can be red, pink, or blue in color and vary in size from less than a qua...
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Carcinoma, pancreatic
Carcinoma, pancreatic: See: Pancreatic cancer....
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CARDIA Study
CARDIA Study: Coronary Artery
Risk Development In Young Adults (CARDIA). A study designed to increase
understanding of contributors to changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
factors during the critical years of transition from adolescence through young
adulthood to middle age. CARDIA was f...
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Cardiac
Cardiac: Having to do with the heart....
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Cardiac aneurysm
Cardiac aneurysm: An outpouching
of an abnormally thin portion of the heart wall. Cardiac
aneurysms tend to involve the left ventricle because the
blood there is under greatest pressure....
