Glossary of Medical Terms

A process used to drain fluid that has built up around the brain and spinal cord. A shunt (a long, thin tube) is placed in a ventricle of the brain and threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen. The shunt carries excess fluid away from the brain so it may be absorbed elsewhere in the body.

In medicine, a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, which damages brain tissue. Cerebrovascular accidents are caused by blood clots and broken blood vessels in the brain. Symptoms include dizziness, numbness, weakness on one side of the body, and problems with talking, writing, or understanding language. The risk of cerebrovascular accident is increased by high blood pressure, older age, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, atherosclerosis (a buildup of fatty material and plaque inside the coronary arteries), and a family history of cerebrovascular accident. Also called CVA and stroke.

The largest part of the brain. It is divided into two hemispheres, or halves, called the cerebral hemispheres. Areas within the cerebrum control muscle functions and also control speech, thought, emotions, reading, writing, and learning.

A series of acts performed for a special occasion or to mark a rite of passage. Ceremonies can be casual or formal.

A drug used to treat non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and is anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Ceritinib blocks the protein made by the ALK gene. Blocking this protein may stop the growth and spread of cancer cells. Ceritinib is a type of tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Also called Zykadia.

A drug used with other drugs to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Cerubidine blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and DNA repair, and it may kill cancer cells. It is a type of anthracycline antibiotic and a type of topoisomerase inhibitor. Also called daunomycin hydrochloride and daunorubicin hydrochloride.

A vaccine used to prevent infection with the two types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that most often cause cancers of the cervix and lesions of the cervix that may become cervical cancer. Cervarix may also prevent other HPV-related cancers. Cervarix is no longer available in the United States, but it is still used in other countries. Also called recombinant human papillomavirus bivalent vaccine.

Relating to the neck, or to the neck of any organ or structure. Cervical lymph nodes are located in the neck. Cervical cancer refers to cancer of the uterine cervix, which is the lower, narrow end (the “neck”) of the uterus.

A type of cervical cancer that begins in the glandular cells of the cervix. These cells make mucus and are found in tissue that lines the inner part of the cervix and the uterus. Cervical adenocarcinoma is less common than cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer that forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.