Chemotherapy, or "chemo," is a treatment administered to cancer patients. Chemo includes a wide variety of drugs that are used to destroy, hinder the growth of and contain the spread of cancer cells. High-dose chemotherapy uses the same drugs as...
Most people envision the transplant as a surgical procedure, but the process really involves infusing the patient with stem cells from a donor or from himself. The infused cells give rise to platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells--all the...
Glutamine is classified as a conditionally essential amino acid. It is synthesized internally, but when your body is stressed due to disease or injury, or by intense physical exercise, it must acquire additional glutamine from diet or...
A bone marrow transplant was at one time considered an experimental treatment. Today it is routinely done as a form of treatment for various types of cancers including different types of leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia. Bone marrow...
Chemotherapy--using toxic drugs to kill fast-dividing cells--is a common cancer treatment. Upon entering a cancer cell, chemotherapy drugs can damage essential molecules such as DNA, inhibit cellular metabolism, and directly induce cancer cell...
High dose chemotherapy is the administration of very high doses of chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer. Normally, patients may undergo a cycle of lower-dose chemotherapy treatment for several weeks, as a lower dose of drugs has a lower chance of...
Lymphocytic leukemia, usually known by its full name of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, is a form of cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. In CLL, there are too many lymphocytes circulating in the blood that are not fully...
Lymphoma consists of a form of cancer that affects lymphocytes, cells found in the body's immune system, according to the National Cancer Institute. Two categories encompass lymphoma: Hodgkin's lymphoma, distinguished by the presence of...
Multiple myeloma is a blood-related cancer affecting the plasma cells. Sufferers of multiple myeloma experience bone pain, fatigue, kidney problems and repeated infections. A number of treatments are available to lengthen life and improve...
Nystatin is an antibiotic that stops growth of fungal microorganisms and is generally used topically or taken internally. L-glutamine is an amino acid that your body manufactures. It is also available as a supplement and may provide a boost to...
Acute Myeloid Leukemia or AML is a form of blood cancer. Patients with AML have too many granulocytes, a type of white blood cell generated from a population of stem cells within the bone marrow. In AML, bone marrow cells become mutated and give...
A neutropenic diet is a low bacteria diet that is advised for people with weakened immune systems. The immune system can become compromised by HIV/AIDS, organ or stem-cell transplants, chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments. The...
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, which is a part of the immune system. According to the American Cancer Society, there are two kinds of lymphomas that can occur in childhood: Hodgkins disease and Non-Hodgkins...
Hematopoietic stem cells are populations of slowly proliferating stem cells in the bone marrow, found in the center of bones, that give rise to blood cells. The cells are found in compartments called niches, and the interaction between the stem...
According to 2004 information from the National Marrow Donor Program, 45,000 to 50,000 bone marrow transplants are done every year worldwide. There are two types of transplants: autologous and allogeneic. An autologous transplant is when the...
Lymph cancer, which is commonly called lymphoma, is cancer affecting the lymph nodes, small organs of the immune system that are spread throughout the body. Two different types of lymphoma exist, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which differ...
Cancer is a disease with many faces. It can affect anyone, at any age; it shows no prejudice. From childhood leukemia to colorectal cancer, the only common ground is its beginning. The growth of abnormal cells that can divide and invade healthy...
Shingles refers to a viral infection in which the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) leads to such symptoms as pain; burning or numbness on one side of the body; itching; a red rash; fluid-filled blisters; chills and a fever. The Mayo Clinic also says...
Breast cancer refers to a potentially life-threatening condition in which cells in the breast grow at a rapid rate. The Mayo Clinic says that breast cancer is one of the most common cancer in women within the United States after skin cancer. Signs...
According to the American Cancer Society, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is diagnosed in more than 10,000 new patients per year; 80 percent to 90 percent of them are over age 60. Myelodysplastic syndrome occurs when bone marrow cells have problems...
Six Mercaptopurine, or 6- MP, is a medication prescribed to treat leukemia and autoimmune disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, according to MayoClinic.com. The drug resembles a normal cell nutrient that cancer and...
Acute myeloid leukemia, also known as acute myelogenous leukemia or AML, is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow when too many immature cells called myeloblasts are made. The National Cancer Institute describes treatment for AML as being...
Alimta, which is a brand name of pemetrexed, is a prescription medication used for the treatment of cancer. One type of cancer that this medication treats is adenocarcinoma, which may develop in the lining of the internal organs, including the...
Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic available as an injection. It is used for the treatment of serious infections when microorganisms have developed resistance to other antibiotics. In some cases, chloramphenicol will have the advantage of...
Leukemia refers to four types of cancers of the blood cells and bone marrow. It results in the abnormal growth and development of blood-forming cells such as red and white blood cells. Leukemia is classified as either lymphocytic or myelogenous...
Treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia--also called acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL--involves several approaches that are used in combination. The decision as to the specific types of treatment is driven by the age of the patient and the...
Ablation is a form of treatment used to treat various types of diseases and conditions. Ablation is the destruction of tissue that is diseased, cancerous or unnecessary. It can be done through several methods, including freezing, radiofrequency...
The American Cancer society estimates that approximately 65,000 people will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as of 2009. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer that starts in immune system cells known as lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...
B cell lymphoma is a subset of the group of diseases called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, these are a diverse group of diseases that involves the lymphatic system of the body. About 85 percent of patients...
