cauterize
Deliberately destroying a small patch of tissue to seal a bleeding point or remove an unwanted growth.
Read definitionSearch the glossary
What would you like to understand?
Results for “poly”
118 matchescolon cancer
Few cancers offer such a long warning: the polyp stage lasts years, and removing one prevents the cancer that would have followed.
Read definitioncolonoscopy
The only bowel test that both finds a polyp and removes it, which is why it prevents cancer rather than merely detecting it.
Read definitioncolorectal cancer
Because a polyp usually takes years to turn malignant, this is one of the few cancers screening can prevent rather than merely find early.
Read definitioncomputed tomography colonography
A scan that builds a walk-through view of the large bowel from x-ray slices, avoiding the camera but not the preparation.
Read definitionCT-2103
A form of the anticancer drug paclitaxel combined with a protein called poliglumex that may have fewer side effects and work better than paclitaxel.
Read definitionCT-2106
A form of the anticancer drug camptothecin that may have fewer side effects and work better than camptothecin.
Read definitioncyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve pain and inflammation.
Read definitiondesmoid tumor
Because a desmoid tumor tends to grow into nearby structures locally, complete surgical removal can be difficult even though it rarely spreads elsewhere.
Read definitionDNA replication
DNA replication is the cellular process that copies a cell's entire DNA sequence before it divides into two daughter cells.
Read definitiondysphonia
Dysphonia is any disruption in normal voice production, most often experienced as hoarseness or an altered vocal pitch or quality.
Read definitionendometrium
The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus that thickens and sheds each menstrual cycle and supports a pregnancy if one occurs.
Read definitionglycan
A large carbohydrate molecule.
Read definitionglycosaminoglycan
A type of long, unbranched polysaccharide molecule.
Read definitiongranular leukocyte
A type of immune cell that has granules (small particles) with enzymes that are released during infections, allergic reactions, and asthma.
Read definitionkeratan sulfate
A glycosaminoglycan (a type of polysaccharide) found in cartilage and in the cornea of the eye.
Read definitionlaryngeal
Laryngeal structures and conditions involve the larynx, the part of the throat responsible for voice production and protecting the airway during swallowing.
Read definitionlentinan
A beta-glucan (a type of polysaccharide) from the mushroom Lentinus edodes (shiitake mushroom).
Read definitionmitoguazone dihydrochloride
A substance being studied in the treatment of some leukemias and lymphomas.
Read definitionmonomer
The single unit a chain is built from, whether that chain is a plastic, a starch, a protein or a strand of DNA.
Read definition