Autologous stem cell support |
A medical procedure to replace stem cells that have been damaged or destroyed with healthy stem cells taken from the bloodstream of the patient prior to starting chemotherapy or radiotherapy |
Bleomycin |
A type of chemotherapy that is administered through a drip into a vein in your arm or chest |
Brentuximab vedotin |
A type of targeted therapy that consists of an antibody joined to a chemotherapy drug. It is administered through a drip into a vein in your arm or chest |
Chemotherapy |
A type of cancer treatment using medicine that kills the cancer cells by damaging them so that they cannot reproduce and spread |
Clinical trial |
A study that compares the effects of one treatment with another |
Curative (treatment) |
A treatment that is intended to cure the cancer |
Immunotherapy |
A type of cancer treatment that stimulates the body’s immune system to fight the cancer |
Maintenance therapy |
Treatment that is given to help keep cancer from coming back after it has disappeared following the initial therapy |
Myelosuppressive (treatment) |
Treatment that stops or slows the growth of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow |
Neutropenia |
An abnormally low level of neutrophils in the blood, which increases risk of infection |
Neutrophils |
A type of white blood cell that play an important role in fighting off infection |
Palliative |
Treatment given to relieve symptoms and reduce the suffering caused by cancer |
Positron emission tomography |
An imaging test that uses a dye with radioactive tracers, which is injected into a vein in your arm |
Prophylactic growth factors |
Growth factors can reduce complications of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. They can prevent neutropenia and improve quality of life |
Radiotherapy |
Treatment involving the use of high-energy radiation, which is commonly used to treat cancer |
Regimen |
Treatment plan |
Relapsed (disease) |
A disease that has returned after a period of improvement |
Stem cells |
Cells that can develop into many different cell types |
Systemic (therapy) |
Drugs that spread throughout the body to treat cancer cells wherever they may be. They include chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy |
Targeted therapy |
A type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to precisely identify and attack cancer cells, usually while doing little damage to normal cells |
White blood cells |
A type of blood cell that is part of the body’s immune system. White blood cells help the body fight infections |