Glossary Terms

Cachexia

Cachexia is a descriptive term for a group of symptoms including by weight loss, presistent tiredness, weakness and loss of appetite.

Cancer

A general name for more than 200 diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control.

Carcinogen

A substance which causes or helps to cause cancer

Carcinoma

A cancer in the tissues lining an organ or organ system. Carcinomas are the most common cancers.

Cardiac

Relating to the heart.

Care plan

A written plan that outlines the care that an individual patient should receive throughout their illness.

Carrier

A carrier of a genetic disorder will carry a gene for a recessive disorder, while usually remaining unaffected. The carrier, however, may pass the faulty gene onto their children.

Carrier testing

A person can be genetically tested to find out if they have a 'copy' of a faulty gene which they could potentially pass on to their children.

Cells

The basic unit of life.

Central nervous system (CNS)

The combination of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that control voluntary and involuntary acts.

Cervical Smear

This involves a few cells being removed from a woman’s cervix using a spatulum. These are sent off to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope.

Cervix / Cervical

Neck of the womb.

Chemotherapy

The use of special cell – killing drugs to treat cancer.

Chromosome

These are the housing for genes. Chromosomes come in 23 pairs, with one from each parent giving a total of 46. Because chromosomes contain genes, a person will have two copies of every gene. The chromosomes are in the nucleus of the cell.

Chronic

Term applied to a condition or disease which is long standing and which may not be curable but can be managed

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)

In CLL it is the lymphocyte white blood cells that are cancerous.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)

In CML, it is the granulocyte white blood cells that are cancerous. CML is sometimes called chronic granulocytic leukaemia or CGL.

Clinical management guidelines

Outlines the best way to treat the patients. These are usually based on good evidence or are recommended by national bodies like the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Clinical trial

Clinical trials compare new treatments (e.g. a drug) to a placebo (inactive look-a-like or imitation substance) or other treatments.

Colorectal cancer

Cancer of the colon (large bowel) and / or rectum.

Community care

Community care arranges or provides social services for children and adults who have care needs. The first point of contact is usually through a social worker. Community care provides a range of services. Examples include: ·home care services (help with personal tasks, for example, bathing and washing, getting up and going to bed, shopping and managing finances); ·home helps (to help with cleaning and meal preparation); ·adaptations to the home; ·provision of meals ·help with benefits advice; and ·help with arranging hospice care.

Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT)

This is an intensive course of treatment, lasting from 10 days to 6 weeks, depending on the severity of the Lymphoedema. It consists of: § Skin and nail care: to avoid the risk of infection by using skin washes and cream that keeps the skin supple; § A type of massage called Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) – given daily to encourage lymph flow and reduce swelling; § layered compression bandaging - on a daily basis to reduce the size of the limb; and § Exercise - gentle exercise on a daily basis to encourage good lymph flow

Complication

An unexpected or unwanted effect of a procedure or treatment (e.g. infection, drug allergy) that can change the outcome and may require more treatment.

Complication rate

The proportion of people who have complications as a result of having a particular procedure or treatment.

Consent

Before certain investigations or procedures, you will be asked to give written or verbal agreement for them to be carried out.

Conservation surgery

Is the removal of a lump from the breast such that the majority of breast tissue remains.

Contracture

Shortening of the muscle or tendon preventing the joint from moving freely.

Core biopsy

A piece of tissue is taken from a lump with a needle and is examined under a microscope to see if cancer cells are present.

Counselling

The opportunity to talk things over with a trained counsellor. Counselling can help you make sense of your feelings and offer you encouragement. It does not tell you what to do, but it can offer new ideas for coping.

Creatine Kinase

A type of protein found in muscle. Some forms of Muscular Dystrophy are associated with high levels of this.

CREST (Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team)

Provide guidelines to support good practice in clinical and social care in Northern Ireland.

CT (Computerised Tomography) Scan

Computerised tomography uses x-rays to generate an image of parts of the body. While traditional x-rays use a single x-ray beam, CT scans provide more detailed information by sending multiple beams from different angles, and using a computer to interpret them. It is used for both diagnosis and staging of cancers - staging of cancer being a measure of how much it has grown and spread.

Cystectomy

An operation to remove the bladder. There are two types of cystectomy. A segmental (partial) cystectomy removes part of the bladder. A radical (or total) cystectomy removes all of the bladder and some of the tissue around it.

Cystoscopy

A cystoscope is a thin tube containing optic fibres with a light and an eyepiece attached. A cystoscopy is an inspection of the bladder, carried out by passing the cystoscope through the urethre. It is the most important test for diagnosing primary cancer of the bladder or to investigate whether other cancers have spread to the bladder. It is also used to investigate:

Cytology

Refers to the microscopic examination of abnormal cells. This examination allows the cancer specialist to identify the type and extent of the cancer.