Glossary of Medical Terms

A type of therapy in which lymphocytes from the blood of a donor are given to a patient who has already received a stem cell transplant from the same donor. The donor lymphocytes may kill remaining cancer cells. Donor lymphocyte infusion is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that has come back and myeloma. It is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer.

A drug given in an aerosol mist to decrease the thickness of mucus in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. It is also being studied as a treatment to reduce the thickness of saliva in patients being treated for head and neck cancer. Dornase alfa inhalation solution contains an enzyme that breaks the DNA in mucus into small pieces and makes the mucus thinner. Also called Pulmozyme.

The amount of medicine taken, or radiation given, at one time.

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It includes the drugs etoposide phosphate, prednisone, vincristine sulfate (Oncovin), cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunorubicin), and rituximab. During each treatment cycle, the doses of some of the drugs may be increased or decreased to allow the patient to receive the dose that works the best with the fewest side effects. Also called DA-EPOCH-R, DA-EPOCH-R regimen, and dose-adjusted EPOCH-R regimen.

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It includes the drugs etoposide phosphate, prednisone, vincristine sulfate (Oncovin), cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunorubicin), and rituximab. During each treatment cycle, the doses of some of the drugs may be increased or decreased to allow the patient to receive the dose that works the best with the fewest side effects. Also called DA-EPOCH-R, DA-EPOCH-R regimen, and dose-adjusted EPOCH-R.

A chemotherapy treatment plan in which drugs are given with less time between treatments than in a standard chemotherapy treatment plan.

Refers to the effects of treatment with a drug. If the effects change when the dose of the drug is changed, the effects are said to be dose-dependent.

A study that determines the best dose of a new drug or treatment. In a dose-escalation study, the dose of the test drug is increased a little at a time in different groups of people until the highest dose that does not cause harmful side effects is found. A dose-escalation study may also measure ways that the drug is used by the body and is often done as part of a phase I clinical trial. These trials usually include a small number of patients and may include healthy volunteers.

Describes side effects of a drug or other treatment that are serious enough to prevent an increase in dose or level of that treatment.

The strength of a treatment given over a period of time.