A 3 to 5-digit number code describing a diagnosis or medical procedure. |
A condition or disorder that occurs spontaneously for a unknown reason. |
Antineoplastic alkylating agent that works by cross-linking DNA. |
A surgical opening in the abdomen connected to the small intestine to allow stool to be emptied into a collection bag. |
Hip bone where a large quantity of bone marrow is concentrated. |
Method used to produce a picture of internal body structures, often used in mesothelioma diagnosis. |
Taking pictures of the lungs and can detect problems such as a mass, an infection or air in the pleural space. Visual imaging tests include chest x-rays and CT scans. |
(also called Gleevec® or STI571) Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of some forms of adult and pediatric chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and for the treatment of a rare form of cancer called gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). |
Complex system which the body resists infection from microbes such as bacteria or viruses and rejects transplanted tissues or organs. The immune system may also help the body fight some cancers. |
Protected against infection. |
A way to make large quantities of targeted immune cells that one day may provide a life-saving defense against cancers and viral infections. |
The body's ability to fight infection and disease. |
Process which a person is protected against the effects of infection by a disease-causing microorganism. |
A developing treatment for mesothelioma that seeks to strengthen the body’s natural immune system by balancing four proteins found in the blood. |
Condition where the bodies immune system is not working correctly. |
An antibody. |
Use of antibody-antigen stains to create reactions to locate markers specific to certain tissues or cells. This staining of human tissue is used to diagnose mesothelioma. |
The localization of antigens or proteins in tissue sections by the use of labeled antibodies as specific reagents through antigen-antibody interactions that are visualized by a marker such as fluorescent dye, enzyme, or colloidal gold. |
The study of how a body resists infection and other diseases. Knowledge gained in this field is important to those cancer treatments based on the principles of immunology. |
A substance capable of modifying functions of the immune system. Immune modulators include cytokines (e.g., IL-2, gamma interferon) and broad-acting agents. |
Specific proteins with color producing labels attached to them to stain tissue sections in order to differentiate one tumor from another. It is particularly important to use a battery of immunostains in order to tell whether the biopsy is a mesothelioma or a lung cancer. |
Drug that makes the body’s defenses less effective. |
State in which the body's immune system does not work as it should. This condition may be present at birth, or it may be caused by certain infections (such as human immunodeficiency virus or HIV), or by certain cancer therapies, such as cancer-cell killing (cytotoxic) drugs, radiation, and bone marrow transplantation. |
Treatment which helps activate the body’s own immune system to destroy disease. Treatment of disease by stimulating the body s own immune system. This is a type of therapy currently being researched as a treatment for cancer. |
Small amount of radioactive material placed in or close to a cancer. Also, an artificial form used to restore the shape of an organ after surgery, for example, a breast implant. |
Unable to keep an erection of the penis. |
Utilizes a highly precise radiation system to deliver carefully calculated beams of intense radiation directly into a cancer. |
Confined to one area. A very early stage of cancer. |
Method used to locate specific DNA or RNA sequences. |
In the uterus; typically refers to events that occur in the womb before birth. |
Refers to work done in a test tube or culture medium in the laboratory. |
Refers to work done using human or animal subjects. |
Number of new cases of a disease or condition in a specific population over a given period of time. |
The loss of urinary control. |
Diseases which a particular drug is effective against. |
Initiation phase of a particular therapy |
Pulmonary hemorrhagic consolidation (often followed by necrosis) of lung parenchyma resulting from thromboembolic pulmonary artery occlusion. |
The leaking of fluid into tissues, which can cause swelling. |
Legal Process by which a person learns key facts about a clinical trial, including potential risks and benefits, before deciding whether or not to participate in a study. Informed consent continues throughout the trial. |
Lymph nodes located beneath the collar bone. |
Putting fluids or medications into the bloodstream over a period of time. |
A device that delivers measured amounts of fluids into the bloodstream over a period of time. |
Breathing. A hazardous substance can enter the body this way. |
Putting a medication into the body with the use of a syringe and needle. |
Injection into the fatty tissue under the skin. |
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A patient who is admitted to a hospital for at least a 24-hour period, and receives medical services from a physician. |
Enzyme that is produced by HIV that allows HIV DNA into the host cell's genetic material. |
Type of 3-dimensional radiation therapy that uses computer-generated images to show the size and shape of the tumor. Thin beams of radiation of different intensities are aimed at the tumor from many angles. This type of radiation therapy reduces the damage to healthy tissue near the tumor and is being explored in mesothelioma. |
Nerves that are on the muscles between the ribs |
A naturally substance that interferes with the ability of viruses to reproduce. Interferon also boosts the immune system. |
Substance that controls immune responses; produced by T lymphocytes. |
A naturally produced chemical released by the body, Cytokine is secreted by immune cells that regulates a range of immune system functions. |
Between the lungs. |
Placing the radiation treatment source into or near the cancer or tumor. This procedure is also called brachytherapy or internal radiation. |
Radiation therapy in which radioactive material is placed in or near a tumor. |
Series of questionnaires exchanged by the parties during the discovery process for the purpose of gaining information about issues and facts in the lawsuit. |
Scarring in the lungs. |
Chronic inflammation of the alveolar walls with a tendency to destroy the lung by consequent healing with progressively severe fibrosis. The progressive nature distinguishes it from other self-limiting forms of lung fibroses. |
Treatment where a radioactive implant is placed directly into the tissue and is not in a body cavity. |
Area between air sacs of the lung where the blood vessels are located and where oxygenation occurs. |
Resistant to treatment relief. |
Abnormal cell growth that suggests possible malignancy. Common sites are the anus (anal intraepithelial neoplasia) and the uterine cervix (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia). |
Injection into the muscle. |
A developing treatment for mesothelioma, a drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to light is injected into a vein several days before surgery. The drug helps the surgeon better identify and remove cancerous growths. A special light is shone on the area during the surgery, which increases the chance of the surgeon seeing, and therefore removing, more of the cancer. |
During birth. |
Chemotherapy drugs injected directly into the lining of the heart. |
Treatment in which anticancer drugs are put directly into the abdominal cavity through a thin tube. |
Chemotherapy drugs that are inserted directly into the abdominal cavity. |
Treatment in which anticancer drugs are put within the pleural cavity through a thin tube. |
The anti-cancer drug, that is directly administered into the affected area. |
Chemotherapy drugs that are inserted directly into the chest cavity. |
Injection into the vein. |
In or through a vein. |
Cancer that has spread beyond the layer of tissue in which it developed and is growing into surrounding, healthy tissues. Also called infiltrating cancer. |
On the side of the body with the disease. |
A chemotherapy agent that is a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor. Chemically, it is a semisynthetic analogue of the natural alkaloid camptothecin. Its main use is in colon cancer, particularly in combination with other chemotherapy agents. |
No blood supply to an area. |
Inflammation. |