cumulative exposure
The total amount of a substance or radiation that a person is exposed to over time. Cumulative exposure to a harmful substance or radiation may increase the risk of certain diseases or conditions.
cumulative risk
A measure of the total risk that a certain event will happen during a given period of time. In cancer research, it is the likelihood that a person who is free of a certain type of cancer will develop that cancer by a specific age. For example, a woman with no known risk factors for breast cancer has a cumulative risk of getting breast cancer over a lifetime of 90 years of about 12-13%. This means one out of every eight women will get breast cancer by age 90 years.
CUP
A case in which cancer cells are found in the body, but the place where the cells first started growing (the origin or primary site) cannot be determined. Also called cancer of unknown primary origin and carcinoma of unknown primary.
cupping
A procedure in which a rounded glass cup is warmed and placed upside down over an area of the body, creating suction that holds the cup to the skin. Cupping increases the flow of blood. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is also thought to increase the flow of qi (vital energy).
curative surgery
Surgery to remove all malignant (cancerous) tissue, which is meant to cure the disease. This includes removing part or all of the cancerous organ or tissue and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed. Curative surgery works best for localized cancer. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be given before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain.
curcumin
A yellow pigment of the spice turmeric that is being studied in cancer prevention.
curettage
Removal of tissue with a curette (a spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge).
Cushing disease
A condition in which there is too much cortisol (a hormone made by the outer layer of the adrenal gland) in the body. In Cushing disease, this happens when an adenoma (benign tumor) in the pituitary gland makes too much adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This causes the adrenal gland to make too much cortisol. Symptoms include a round face, thin arms and legs, severe fatigue and muscle weakness, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, purple or pink stretch marks on the skin, and weight gain, especially in the abdomen.
