what does the word remission mean when referring to cancer patients?
88825
Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease. When this happens, the disease is said to be "in remission." A remission can be temporary or permanent.
932605
A transplant allows you to have much higher doses of chemotherapy than usual, which may help to improve the chances of curing some types of cancer, leukaemia or lymphoma, or prolonging a remission. Remission is where there is no sign of the cancer.\nVery high doses of chemotherapy, sometimes with radiotherapy, are usually given over a few days. The high-dose treatment destroys the bone marrow and stem cells. So, after the high-dose treatment you will be given a drip (infusion) of either:\nyour own stem cells (autologous treatment) \nor stem cells from a donor (allogeneic transplant).\nBoth of these procedures are often called transplants. But, strictly speaking, only situations where stem cells are taken from someone else are actually transplants. So, throughout this section, the term high-dose treatment with stem cell support is used, rather than autologous treatment.\nHigh-dose treatment with stem cell support, and allogeneic transplants are different treatments, with different risks and possible side effects.\n\nThere are four main steps in the process of both high-dose treatment with stem cell support and allogeneic transplants. These are described briefly below and explained further throughout this section.\n\nThe first step is to reduce the leukaemia or cancer to as low a level as possible, using chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Ideally you should have no detectable cancer (this is known as being in remission) at the time of your high-dose treatment. This gives the best possible chance for the treament to work. However, it may also be done if there is only a small amount of cancer still present.\n\nThe second step is the collection of the stem cells from you or your donor. This is known as the harvest.\n\nThe third step is the high-dose treatment. The aim is to remove any remaining cancer cells from your body. You may be treated with chemotherapy alone. Sometimes radiotherapy is given as well. This intensive treatment will completely destroy all your normal bone marrow. This step is sometimes called the conditioning regimen and usually lasts only a few days. It can make you feel very ill and sick. You will be given anti-sickness (anti-emetic) drugs, which may also make you feel sleepy. These drugs are very effective, and can usually control feelings of sickness (nausea) and vomiting.\n\nThe fourth step is to give the stem cells to you through a drip. This is a bit like having a blood transfusion. It will be 2–4 weeks before the cells find their way through the bloodstream into the bone marrow and start to make new blood cells for you. You will need to be in hospital until the number of blood cells in your blood stream has gone back to a safe level.\nWhile your level of healthy blood cells is low, you will need to have antibiotics. This is because you will have very little resistance to infection. You may be given injections of growth factors (G-CSF) to help your bone marrow to make new blood cells more quickly. You will also need to have blood and platelet transfusions. You may be looked after in a room on your own to protect you from infection. During this time you will need constant medical and nursing support.
308615
It depends on the location and type of tumor.  I had a similar diagnosis and had breast conserving surgery, radiation and now chemotherapy because of recurrence.  Susan Love's Breat Book was a good resource at that time.  If the cancer is hormone receptive, her doctors may subscribe a 5 year course of Tamoxifen.  Give her lots of hugs.
154229
My heart goes out to you and your sister.  People DO survive lung cancer.  Taking chemo is a tough decision to make, it can destroy the quality time you may have left IF  hers is NOT in a curable stage.  Most doctors WILL give honest answers IF the patients ASK:  Is my cancer curable?  What are my chances of surviving with surgery only?  What are my chances of surviving WITH and WITHOUT chemo? Or  WITH and WITHOUT radiation?\nShe might need you to go with her to ask these questions, (I encourage you to WRITE DOWN your questions, and let the doctor SEE you have a list of questions...) for the support, and so you can reaffirm what she was told.   An amazing number of people are unable to clearly remember and process the info they are given when the disease is life-threatening.  If you were with her, and later she can't quite recall the information, you could gentley help her work through the answers.\n Encourage her to get second opinions if she feels she needs more information.  Not EVERY form of cancer, not EVERY patient is good candidate for chemo.  Chemo can often cause more life ravaging consequences than the cancer itself.  I can understand her hesitancy in NOT jumping into chemotherapy.  Please do not let anyone make her feel like a "quitter" or guilty for NOT choosing chemo IF HERS IS not curable.  Perhaps she will choose to focus her fight on maintaining her dignity, independence, and quality of life as long as she is able to- IF HERS IS NOT IN A CURABLE STAGE.  \nSometimes radiation and other cancer treatments are given as a palliative measure, meaning it will not CURE the cancer, but hopefully if can keep the tumors from causing decreasing function of of organs in the chest, or from causing increased pain.\nIf it IS treatable, and if it IS a stage of cancer that will repond to surgery, chemo, and radiation, etc, it may make it easier for her to bear the treatments if she knows she DOES have a chance to survive.  She has a right to that information about her own particular stage of cancer before she makes the choice. Take care, I wish you both well.
382992
That's a tough questions.....there are so many things to consider (The cellular class, and staging of the leuk. as well as the individual with the diagnosis). I work on a BMT (bone marrow transplant) unit and GENERALLY speaking there is an 80% acheived remission rate. Your boyfriend is young, and in remission so that's in his favor.  If he doesn't have the philadelphia chromosone that is also a big plus.  Without further treatment, most pts will relapse within 2 yrs. There are new treatments and studys that look promising, involving postremission chemo and allo BMT's. I can tell you that no one holds a crystal ball or will be able to give you a specific answer......Your boyfriend needs to sit with his oncologist, ask some tough questions, and listen to his options now that he is in remission. Remission will open up diferent treatment options for him. Cancer is a rough road to journey down, but there is always reason for hope.  Even a remission that lasts two years will bring him two years closer to newer and improved options.....and hopefully the cure we all are waiting for.  Good luck.
556440
Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (in which cancer cells are transported through the blood or lymphatic system). Cancer may affect people at all ages, but risk increases with age. It is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries.\n\nThere are many types of cancer. Severity of symptoms depends on the site and character of the malignancy and whether there is metastasis. A definitive diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of tissue by a pathologist. This tissue is obtained by biopsy or surgery. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for the type of cancer pathology. Drugs that target specific cancers already exist for many cancers. If untreated, cancers may eventually cause illness and death, though this is not always the case.\n\nThe unregulated growth that characterizes cancer is caused by damage to DNA, resulting in mutations to genes that encode for proteins controlling cell division. Many mutation events may be required to transform a normal cell into a malignant cell. These mutations can be caused by chemicals or physical agents called carcinogens, by close exposure to radioactive materials, or by certain viruses that can insert their DNA into the human genome. Mutations occur spontaneously, or are passed down generations as a result of germ line mutations.\n\nMany forms of cancer are associated with exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco smoke, radiation, alcohol and certain viruses. While some of these can be avoided, there is no known way to entirely avoid the disease, and public health and vaccination programs are also important on a global scale.\n\nLeukemia or leukaemia (see spelling differences) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). It is part of the broad group of diseases called hematological neoplasms.
927784
Give her all the supports you can by encouraging and giving medical attention. You have not told what cancer she is having the stage and grade of the disease so that I could have suggested the possible medication and treatments. Any way act as per the advise of your Oncologist. The treatments generally are - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment side effects are more killing than the disease itself. What to do you have to fight the disease as -\n\nCANCER IS STILL AN ENIGMA.  Best wishes for speedy recovery of your friend.-
1181789
They are free radicals and radiation and chemo are a few ways they are treating cancer.
1100841
Means you're doctor prescribed  meds for you already without the need for you to return to his office again because your diagnoses is one that requires many doses over a period of time.  Now you get more meds each time you run out.
4796
It means lots of pain, heat, mood changes, then some pain, and no cure. I manage the pain with diet and exercise. The exercise has taught me to control how much the pain affects me. It is still there, but I manage better.
323847
Hi There, My dad had it, he was 81.  I had gotten a lot of info from the American Cancer Society.  Try this link: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp.  There is info there about trials and treatments.  On certain patients (not my dad) they can do chemo.  In Multiple Myeloma the symptoms can be treated, but there is no cure.  My dad received steroid treatment.  He had gotten radiation to a couple of really painful areas and it seemed to help him a lot.  Also he got blood transfusions when his blood count was off and that helped too.  He did end up going on dialysis because as the cancer eats the bone, calcium is released into the system and the kidneys can't handle too much calcium.  Sometimes patients receive stem cell transplants. Good luck to the patient & family.  My thoughts and prayers are with you.
389443
Finding the cure for cancer.
399352
This is not a specific description so it depends on the normal terms your doctor uses. \n\nFair would usually be "average". Some use "good, fair and poor" in describing the prognosis of a condition. Fair would mean it's ok, but not great.
622377
Cancer can be Cured if its treated in the Early stages AND the patient has will power to fight cancer.\n\nI've come across people who survived cancer and people who lost out and those were the two factors that differentiated them.
999315
The hospital will recommend the best course of treatment. Depends on where, how invasive the cancer is.  Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the best way to combat the disease, along with positive thinking and eating healthy.
84543
Means also that you have absolutely visit your physician!\nIf not you will suffer from terrible pains.....in the joints.
853313
What do you mean? Are you talking about statistics  or about new treatment options for cancer?\n\nWith over 200 different types of cancer, stages and grades of tumor . . .  the question is a little vague.