A condition in which the number of red blood cells is below normal.
An abnormal loss of the appetite for food.
Treatment with substances that boost the body’s immune system to fight against cancer; interferon is one example.
A class of medicines that inhibit bone removal (resorption) by osteoclasts, a type of bone cell that breaks down bone.
Bone marrow is the inner, spongy tissue of large bones where red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are made.
The use of anticancer drugs either injected by vein, into the muscle, or given by mouth to inhibit tumor growth or destroy cancer cells. ZOMETA is not chemotherapy.
Any of the hormones produced by the adrenal cortex, or their synthetic equivalents.
Difficult, painful breathing or shortness of breath.
Swelling caused by excess fluid in body tissues.
Treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones. To slow or stop the growth of certain cancers, synthetic hormones or other drugs may be given to block the body’s natural hormones.
An excess of calcium in the blood; can be caused by cancerous destruction of bone tissue.
Difficulty in going to sleep or getting enough sleep.
Drugs given into or within a vein that help slow the bone destroying activity that occurs with bone metastases.
The complex system by which the body resists infection by germs, such as bacteria or viruses, and rejects transplanted tissues or organs. The immune system may also help the body fight some cancers.
Magnetic resonance imaging; a procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves and computer to produce images of the body.
Cancer resulting from abnormal plasma cells multiplying and occupying space in the bone marrow.
Pain in a muscle or group of muscles.
Tumor; any new and abnormal growth, specifically one in which cell multiplication is uncontrolled and progressive. Neoplasms may be benign or malignant.
A doctor with special training in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
A bone-forming cell that is derived from mesenchyme (fibroblast) and forms an osseous matrix in which it becomes enclosed as an osteocyte. Synonym, osteoplast.
Relating to the osteoblasts; describes a region of increased radiographic bone density, in particular metastases that simulate osteoblastic activity.
Causing the breakdown of bone. Noun, osteolysis.
Inflammation of bone, localized or generalized, due to an infection.
The death of bone tissue due to destruction of its blood supply.
An abnormal touch sensation, such as burning or prickling, that occurs without an outside stimulus.
Positron Emission Tomography; a highly specialized imaging technique that uses short-lived radioactive substances to produce three-dimensional colored images of those substances functioning within the body.
Treatment that uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells.
Pressure on the spinal cord resulting from factors external to the cord itself. It can result from bone metastases to the spinal column that encases the cord or from infections in the space between the cord and the spinal column.
A generic term for all steroids exhibiting the biological activity of ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) or cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). They promote the proper utilization of calcium and phosphorous. Since these compounds are synthesized in human tissues, they are more properly referred to as hormones rather than vitamins.
Blood cells that help defend the body against infections. There are many types of white blood cells. Certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy can reduce the number of these cells and make a person more likely to get infections.
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