General Medical Terms

A substance that has been studied in the treatment of cancer and is being studied in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and certain skin conditions.

A substance that may be found in high amounts in the blood of patients with certain types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.

CAB most often abbreviates a coronary artery bypass, surgery that reroutes blood around a blocked heart vessel, though the same letters also denote a community advisory board.

Cadmium is a naturally occurring heavy metal used in industry that can accumulate in the body and cause kidney damage with prolonged exposure.

A group of proteins that bind calcium and move it into cells.

Calcification is the deposit of calcium salts within soft tissue or organs, sometimes a normal effect of aging and sometimes a sign of disease.

Refers to the number of calories (energy content) consumed.

Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels, forming thin walled networks where oxygen, nutrients, and waste products exchange between blood and surrounding tissue.

Capsaicin is the compound responsible for the heat of chili peppers, used topically to help manage certain types of localized pain.

Capsule describes both the fibrous tissue enclosing an organ, joint, or tumor and the swallowable gelatin shelled form of many oral medications.

A substance formed by the breakdown of protein in the liver.

Carbohydrates are energy-supplying molecules built from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, ranging from simple sugars to complex starches, fiber, and structural compounds.

Carbolic acid, chemically known as phenol, was historically significant as the first widely used surgical antiseptic before becoming mainly an industrial chemical.

Colorless and odorless, carbon monoxide binds hemoglobin far more strongly than oxygen does, reducing the blood's capacity to deliver oxygen to tissue.

A bacterial enzyme that is used to neutralize the toxic effects of methotrexate.

Pertaining to slowing or stopping the growth of cancer.

Cardiopulmonary describes anything involving both the heart and lungs, which work together to circulate blood and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Cardiotoxicity is heart damage or dysfunction caused by exposure to a medication or other substance, sometimes appearing only after treatment ends.

A rare, inherited disorder marked by dark spots on the skin and tumors in the heart, endocrine glands, skin, and nerves.

A rare, inherited disorder marked by tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and tumors that form in embryonic nervous tissue in the head, neck, and torso.