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M
Malignant cells or cancerous cells: Cells characterized by uncontrolled and unregulated growth. These cells have a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.
Mantle cell lymphoma: is a tumor of the mantle cells that surround the germinal (reproducing) centers of the lymph nodes. Mantle cell lymphoma occurs primarily in men (approximately 75%), and with an average patient age of 63, it rarely is seen in young patients. At the time of diagnosis, most patients show generalized lymph node disease, with or without enlargement of the spleen and liver. In addition, approximately two-thirds of all newly diagnosed patients have bone marrow involvement. Only about 20% of patients have Stage 1 or 2 disease at diagnosis. Although this tumor is a small, B-cell lymphoma, it does not act like one - it is not slow growing and low-grade in character. The reasons for this inconsistency are unclear, and so there is ongoing investigation into the biology of this disease. The clinical course of mantle cell lymphoma is intermediate between low-grade lymphomas and poorly responsive intermediate-grade lymphomas. (Source: Oncology Channel)
Mechanisms of action: The individual steps and processes by which something, such as a drug, works.
Median: in statistics, the median is the middle of a distribution (set of observations) - half of the values are above the median and half are below the median.
Memory cells: Memory cells are types of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. After a foreign invader or unwanted cell has been destroyed, surviving B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes develop into specialized memory cells that remain on watch and can provide protection if the invader is encountered in the future.
Messenger RNA (mRNA): This is the intermediate form that DNA takes before it is turned into protein inside a cell. Although DNA contains information that the cell needs to survive, it is in a coded format. It must be decoded into mRNA, then made into proteins, which are functional units that the cell can utilize. mRNA stands for messenger ribonucleic acid.
Metastasize: The act of cancer cells spreading, usually through the blood stream or by lymph channels.
Microarray: A new way of studying how large numbers of genes interact with each other and how a cell's regulatory networks control vast batteries of genes simultaneously. The method uses a robot to precisely apply tiny droplets containing functional DNA to glass slides. Researchers then attach fluorescent labels to DNA from the cell they are studying. The labeled probes are allowed to bind to complementary DNA strands on the slides. The slides are put into a scanning microscope that can measure the brightness of each fluorescent dot; brightness reveals how much of a specific DNA fragment is present, an indicator of how active it is. (Definition and illustration from genome.gov)
Monoclonal antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies are a form of biologic therapy. Each monoclonal antibody acts specifically against a particular antigen. Using new technologies, scientists can now produce large amounts of antibody that can be directed to a single target (or antigen) on the cell's surface. Monoclonal antibodies have been developed to help combat specific cancers, including some forms of NHL. Monoclonal antibodies include Rituxan ? , Bexxar ? , Zevalin ? , etc.
Mouse Model: A laboratory mouse useful for medical research because it has specific characteristics that resemble a human disease or disorder. Strains of mice having natural mutations similar to human ones may serve as models of such conditions. Scientists can also create mouse models by transferring new genes into mice or by inactivating certain existing genes in them. (From genome.gov)
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): An MRI uses magnets and radio frequency waves to produce images of the inside of the body. An MRI can provide important information about tissues and organs that is not available from other imaging techniques.
Mucositis: The medical term for mouth sores.
Myeloablative: The destruction of vital stem cells found within the hollow space inside bone, known as the bone marrow, usually resulting from an anti-cancer procedure or treatment. Stem cells give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that are necessary for survival.
Myelosuppresion: A reduction in the bone marrow's ability to make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
N
Narcotics: Any drug, synthetic or naturally occurring, with effects similar to those of opium and opium derivatives.
Neutropenia: An abnormally low level of neutrophils (the white blood cells responsible for fighting bacterial infections).
Neutrophils: The primary type of white blood cells found in the body.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A group of several closely related cancers that affect the lymphatic system. Although the different types of NHL have some things in common, they differ in what the cancer cell looks like under a microscope, how the cells grow, and how the tumor affects the body.
Non-myeloablative: A procedure or treatment in which stem cells in the bone marrow are not destroyed. Manufacturing of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (all essential components of the blood), is done by the stem cells in the bone marrow.
O
Oligonucleotide genotyping: A test that examines a donor and potential recipient's DNA to see if the cells are compatible for bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
Oncogenes: Genes that promote cancer formation, such as c-myc and v-myc.
Oncologist: A doctor who specializes in treating cancer. Some oncologists further specialize in chemotherapy (?medical oncologists?), radiotherapy (?radiation oncologists?), or surgery (?surgical oncologists?).
Open label study: A type of study in which both the health providers and the patients are aware of the drug or treatment being given.
P
Palliative: Treatment aimed at improving a patient's quality of life by relieving the symptoms caused by cancer.
Partial remission (PR): The term used when a cancer has shrunk in size (usually at least in half) but has not totally disappeared. The cancer can still be detected, and other treatments may be recommended.
Pathologist: A doctor who specializes in studying disease through the gross and microscopic evaluation of body tissues and organs. Any tissue suspected of being cancerous must be examined by a pathologist to confirm the diagnosis.
Pathology: The scientific study of disease processes.
Performance status: Performance status is used to describe a person's ability to follow a typical lifestyle
Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: Similar to bone marrow transplantation, peripheral stem cell transplantation is a method of replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by cancer treatment. Immature blood cells (stem cells) in the blood that are similar to those in the bone marrow are removed from the patient's blood before treatment. These cells are given back to the patient after treatment to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells. Transplantation may be autologous (the patient's own blood cells saved earlier), allogeneic (blood cells from a donor), or syngeneic (blood cells from an identical twin).
Peripheral neuropathy: Damage to the nervous system. Some drugs can cause this condition. Symptoms include weakness or tingling in the hands and/or feet.
PET scan (positron emission tomography): PET scans may be used instead of gallium scans or lymphangiograms to identify areas in the body that are affected by NHL. This test evaluates metabolic activity in different parts of the body using a radioisotope.
Phase I trial: In these trials, a small number of patients are given a new treatment to determine the safety of the treatment, including appropriate dosage levels. Because many of the treatments researched in Phase I trials are new, participants may face substantial risks. Therefore, these trials are usually open only to patients in an advanced stage of cancer, whose disease is not controllable with standard treatment.
Phase II trial: These trials involve a larger number of participants than Phase I trials and focus not only on side effects that may not have been seen in Phase I trials, but also on tumor response to treatment.
Phase III trial: Generally large nationwide trials conducted to determine whether a new treatment is better than the existing standard treatment. Safety, effectiveness, dosage, and side effects are also evaluated. These randomized studies enroll hundreds of patients.
Phase IV trial: After a treatment has been approved and is being marketed, it is studied in a phase IV trial to evaluate side effects that were not apparent in the phase III trial. Thousands of people are involved in a phase IV trial.
Phenotype: The genetic characteristics displayed by an organism or cell under a particular environment.
Plasma cell: A mature B-lymphocyte that makes antibodies?these antibodies help the body remove toxins, bacteria, and some cancer cells.
Pilot: The initial study examining a new method or treatment. (Indicated in the Clinical Trials List as "0".)
Platelets: Components in the blood that help prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form at the site of an injury. An abnormally low number of platelets, thrombocytopenia, may result in easy bruising and excessive bleeding from wounds or bleeding in mucous membranes and other tissues.
Prognosis: The likely outcome of a disease, including the chance of recovery.
Prognostic factor: A measurement that can help predict patient survival with a disease.
Pruritis: Itching of the skin, sometimes accompanied by a rash, which may be associated with various types of cancers, cancer treatments and other medications.
Purging: In bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant, a process by which certain types of cells are removed prior to stem cell infusion into the patient. In autologous transplantation, marrow or blood may be purged to remove cancer cells that may be contaminating the collection. In allogeneic transplantation, the donor stem cells collected may be purged to remove cells that cause graft-versus- host disease.
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