Mesothelioma Glossary C

Click on the letters below for an explanation of the glossary terms for each letter.

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Cachexia - loss of body weight and muscle mass and weakness that may occur in patients with cancer or other chronic disease. It is a common manifestation of late stage mesothelioma.

Calcification - the process of hardening of body tissues by their infiltration with calcium

Cancer - an abnormal growth of cells that tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread)

Cancerophobia - an obsessive fear of cancer

Carcinogen - a substance or agent that causes cancer

Carcinogenic - substances that are capable of producing cancer or cancer growth

Carcinoid - a tumor, usually benign or of low-grade malignancy, that is often found in the intestines

Carcinoma - a malignant tumor of epithelial origin

Cardiologist - a specialist in the treatment of conditions related to the heart that would perform the appropriate tests to see if a patient is functionally able to tolerate surgery for mesothelioma

Cardiovascular - pertaining to the heart and the blood vessels

CBC (complete blood count) - consisting of a hemoglobin and hematocrit determination, a red cell count, a white cell count, and a differential count of the white cells

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - the U.S. federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that monitors disease occurrence and develops policies for preventing diseases and maintaining the health of the population

Cell - the basic structural and functional unit in people and all living things. Each cell is a small container of chemicals and water wrapped in a membrane.

Chemoembolization - is a palliative treatment where three chemotherapy drugs are injected into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor. The artery is then blocked off (embolized) with a mixture of oil and tiny particles. This procedure accomplishes four things: 1. The tumor becomes deprived of oxygen and nutrients once the blood supply is blocked. 2. Because these drugs are injected directly at the tumor site, this dosage is 20 to 200 times greater than that achieved with standard chemotherapy injected into a vein in the arm. 3. Because the artery is blocked, no blood washes through the tumor. As a result, the drugs stay in the tumor for a much longer time - as long as a month. 4. There is a decrease in side effects because the drugs are trapped in the tumor instead of circulating throughout the body.

Chemotherapy - administration of chemicals to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. Called "chemo" for short.

Chest X-ray - an X-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body. The chest X-ray is the most common imaging test for the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Chronic - long-lasting, occurring over a longer period of time

Chronic bronchitis - a condition associated with prolonged exposure to nonspecific bronchial irritants (usually cigarette smoke) and accompanied by alterations in the bronchi. It is characterized by a chronic productive cough.

Chrysotile - a type of asbestos of the serpentine variety accounting for 90% of all asbestos used. Its fibers take the shape of a spirally wound tube, are soft, flexible, and small in diameter. Its color is green, gray, amber, or white. It is of high tensile strength and was used in asbestos cement, pipe, sheet roofing, flooring, electrical, and thermal insulation and friction products.

Cisplatin - an anticancer drug that is used in the treatment of a wide range of malignancies, including mesothelioma. It is given intravenously.

Clinical trial - an organized procedure for determining the effectiveness of new drugs or therapies by administering the agent to participants under strictly controlled conditions

Clubbing - a condition characterized by increased curvature of the nails, blood congestion in nailbeds, and increased size of the distal phalanges. Clubbing may appear in advanced cases of asbestosis, but it appears more frequently in other types of pneumoconioses.

Collagen - an insoluble fibrous protein that appears in bones and connective tissue fibrils

Collagen disease - one of a group of chronic diseases affecting the connective tissue as well as multiple joints and organs

Colloid - a substance (such as gelatin or starch) which, when dissolved in water, diffuses very slowly through a membrane

Combination therapy - the use of more than one therapy to treat cancer

Cor pulmonale - right-sided heart failure. The right ventricle becomes hypertrophied and dilated due to the back pressure within the pulmonary blood circuit created by diseased lungs.

Costophrenic angle - the angle between the diaphragm and the chest wall

Coughing - an early, nonspecific symptom of asbestosis is a dry cough, sometimes associated with chest pains. It is most common in asbestos workers with a history of cigarette smoking.

Crocidolite - a type of asbestos of the amphibole variety accounting for 3-1/2% of all asbestos used. It is an acid-resistant blue fiber with very high tensile strength, but does not rate as highly in terms of resistance to destruction by heat. It has good flexibility and fair spinnability and was frequently used for thermal insulation, grouting, and lagging.

CT scan or CAT scan (computerized tomography scan) - pictures of structures within the body created by a computer that takes the data from multiple X-ray images and turns them into pictures on a screen. A type of X-ray that uses a computer rather than film and creates more detailed images than an X-ray does. Prior to a CT scan, you may be given an intravenous injection of dye that helps to produce more detailed images.

Cyanosis - a bruise-like discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes that is particularly caused by deficient oxygen content in the blood

Cytology - the branch of biology concerned with the study of cells

Cytoxic - toxic or destructive to cells