Antibodies are proteins generated by the immune system, and they are designed to bind to specific targets, called antigens. When infectious microbes enter the body, the cells within the immune system secrete antibodies that target the infectious...
Immunotherapy is used to boost the immune system in the treatment of disease like cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), it includes monoclonal antibodies used in targeted therapy, vaccines and other treatments that boost...
Mantle cell lymphoma, as reported by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in January 2007, accounts for approximately 6 percent of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases, and affects the B lymphocytes---a specific type of white blood cell that produces...
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in pigmented cells called melanocytes, according to the American Cancer Society. Melanoma is not as common as basal cell or squamous skin cancers, but is a more dangerous disease. When melanoma spreads...
Diffuse large B cell Lymphoma, or DLBCL, is one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all cases, as reported in May 2010 by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. DLBCL occurs when B...
Follicular lymphoma cancer belongs to the class of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma---the abnormal and uncontrollable growth that occurs in a specific type of white blood cell known as a lymphocyte. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for the majority of...
According to the National Cancer Institute estimates, 142,570 men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer in 2010. More than 51,000 of them will die of their cancer. For those who develop colon cancer,...
Remicade, the brand name of the generic infliximab, is a monoclonal antibody medication. Monoclonal antibodies are scientifically engineered antibodies developed in laboratories that mimic natural antibodies produced by the body. Before Remicade...
Colon cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that line the large intestine, also known as the colon. There are approximately 106,100 new cases of colon cancer in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society. New screening...
Chronic lymphatic leukemia is also called chronic lymphocytic leukemia or CLL. All these names refer to the same disease. CLL differs from acute lymphatic leukemia in that it has a slow and insidious onset. Symptoms may not be obvious for many...
Multiple myeloma is considered to be a hematological cancer. This means that it originates in the blood system. Myeloma cells are abnormal plasma cells that develop instead of the normal plasma cells. These cells do not die as normal blood cells...
There are several potential causes of elevated levels of protein in the blood. The type of protein circulating in the blood is often an antibody. The plasma cell that produces antibodies is part of the immune system, and thus, elevated protein...
Advanced, or stage IV, colon cancer is characterized by tumors that have spread from the colon to nearby lymph nodes and other vital organs, such as the liver and lungs. Unlike treatments in the early stages of disease that aim to cure the cancer,...
Follicular lymphoma, also known as center cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a cancer that affects the b-lymphocytes. B-cell lymphocytes are the white blood cells that help defend the body against illness. Follicular describes the type of cell the...
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells involving primarily the bone marrow, which releases a distinctive protein into the blood used for diagnosis. The disease usually occurs in older adults, with approximately 16,000 new cases diagnosed...
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...
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, originates from white blood cells in the bone marrow, which then spread to the blood, according to the American Cancer Society. CLL usually grows slower than other forms of leukemia. Treatment for CLL...
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma describes a condition of abnormal and uncontrolled growth of a specific type of white blood cell known as a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes, both B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, function in the immune system and are concentrated in...
The American Cancer Society reported in July 2009 that mantle cell lymphoma, a specific type of cancer that affects B lymphocytes, accounted for only 5 percent of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases. B lymphocytes, white blood cells that produce...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease caused by the body's own immune system attacking the protective covering (called myelin) around the nerves. MS affects over 400,000 Americans and women are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop the...
The National Cancer Institute describes multiple myeloma as a cancer that originates in a type of blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells circulate throughout the body and produce antibodies that help rid the body of infections. The severity...
Each year more than 15,000 people learn they have chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Normally, the bone marrow produces immature cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells (lymphocytes) and platelets. When a patient develops chronic...
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells found in bone marrow. The cancerous cells multiply so much that they crowd out normal healthy blood cells and weaken the bones. Once multiple myeloma is diagnosed, the cancer is then staged, which...
Plasma cells refer to cells that produce antibodies (immunoglobulins), proteins that are necessary to defend the body against infection. According to the Merck Manual, a compilation of medical information for medical professionals, plasma cells...
Mediastinal large B cell lymphoma (MLBCL) belongs to the group of cancers known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. MLBCL begins in the B lymphocytes, white blood cells that function to produce antibodies, in the mediastinum---the area between the lungs...
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...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease characterized by joint pain and swelling especially in the joints of the hands and feet. According to the Arthritis Treatment and Relief website, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, then your immune...
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,...
Primary bone cancer begins in bone tissue and is a relatively rare form of cancer. It occurs most often in the bones of the arms and legs, and children and young people are far more likely to get it than are adults, according to HealthScout.com....
