White blood cells are produced by the bone marrow and have an important role in preventing infection. White blood cells and the bone marrow are very sensitive to toxins, as well as a number of prescription medications that can also kill white...
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...
White blood cells are part of your immune system and are found in your blood and tissue. Your body has several different types of white blood cells that fight infections by producing antibodies and cytokines, killing infected cells and removing...
All of the body’s bones have a soft, fatty tissue inside them called bone marrow. Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells, or immature cells that develop into mature blood cells over time. Stem cells in the bone marrow produce blood...
Bone marrow, the spongy inner part of bones, produces platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. Bone-marrow testing assesses the health of a patient's bone marrow. Sampling of bone marrow requires either a biopsy or aspiration procedure....
Leukemia is cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. Acute leukemia is fast-acting and when left untreated, fatal. Adult acute myeloid leukemia is the most common form of fast-acting cancer in adults. AML is a group of cancerous conditions....
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...
There are three types of blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an estimated 139,860 people in the United States were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2009. Every 10 minutes...
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects the plasma cells (a type of white blood cell) in bone marrow. Normal plasma cells make antibodies to fight off infection; however, in those with multiple myeloma, plasma cells form tumors in bone...
Like the security system that protects a house, the bone marrow produces white blood cells to protect the body against bacterial or fungal invaders. The Mayo Clinic says these white blood cells must a reach a specific quantitative low of 3,500...
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer that affects immature blood cells, comes on suddenly and causes easy bruising, fatigue and unusual bleeding. AML arises from a new (not inherited) DNA mutation in an immature blood cell that...
White blood cells, which function within the immune system to protect the body from foreign invaders, consist of five types of cells including lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, neutrophils and eosinophils. The bone marrow continually produces new...
First, the recipient and donor of the bone marrow must be prepared for the procedure. A thorough evaluation, physical exam and medical history must be performed on each, and tests must be performed to ensure that blood and tissue match between the...
Stem cells are cells within the body that are not differentiated, which means they can reproduce and form other cells of varying functions. The only existing treatment currently in clinical practice that utilizes stem cells is a bone marrow...
Chronic myeloid leukemia, also known as chronic myelogenous leukemia or CML, is a kind of leukemia that starts in the cells in the bone marrow that form blood, according to the American Cancer Society. CML cells accumulate in the body over time,...
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...
Three types of cancer that affect blood cells directly are leukemia, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). All of these cancers begin in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. In all cases, abnormal blood cells develop and...
White blood cells play a vital role in the immune system as they scavenge the blood for invading bacteria, viruses and fungi. Certain medical conditions can cause white cell levels to become low, a condition known as neutropenia. While mild...
Lisinopril, belongs to the class of drugs called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors. Lisinopril treats hypertension and heart failure that has not responded to diuretics and digitalis. Doctors also often prescribe it...
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma make up 9.5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S. Leukemia is the No. 1 fatal cancer in individuals younger than age 20. For children younger than...
White blood cells serve a vital role as the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders. As a key component of the immune system, white blood cells circulate through the blood stream and scavenge for bacteria and viruses. While a high...
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...
Leukemia causes blood cells, usually white blood cells, to grow uncontrollably. These abnormal cells not only fail to function properly, but also decrease the production and growth of healthy blood cells. Leukemia can affect adults and children,...
White blood cells, produced in the bone marrow, are a part of the immune system responsible for fighting off abnormal cells and invading organisms. The five types of white blood cells, neutrophils--the most common--monocytes, lymphocytes,...
Acute myeloid leukemia, also known as AML, is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow. The initial treatment for AML focuses on sending the cancer into remission. Sometimes after a period of remission the cancer will come back, leading to an...
White blood cells play an important role in the immune system as they scavenge the blood for invading bacteria and viruses. Individuals may become susceptible to infection when white blood cell levels become low, a condition known as neutropenia....
The National Cancer Institute reports that 1,479,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2009, and cancer caused 562,340 deaths in the United States that year. Cancer is commonly treated by a combination of therapies that may include...
A bone marrow transplant delivers healthy bone marrow stem cells, the cells that produce all of the blood cells of the body, to a person who needs them. Instead of through a surgical procedure, a bone marrow transplant is done via an IV, sending...
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...
Sickle cell anemia or sickle cell disease is a blood disorder that causes some of the red bloods to assume a sickle or elongated shape, resulting in poor blood flow and improper oxygen delivery. Get expert tips and advice on preventing,...
Plasma Cell Neoplasm (multiple myeloma) is when plasma cells found in the bone marrow become cancerous. This is an uncommon cancer that you can learn more about in this video about the condition and its various preventative techniques and treatments.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system in which cells called lymphocytes (T Lymphocytes and B Lymphocytes) become cancerous. Learn more about this serious condition and how to prevent and treat it in this video.
