Glossary of Medical Terms

A drug used to treat multiple myeloma in patients who cannot take melphalan by mouth. It is also used to help prepare patients for a stem cell transplant. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Evomela may kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA and stopping them from dividing. It is a type of alkylating agent. Also called melphalan hydrochloride.

A drug used to treat certain disorders of the salivary gland. It is also being studied as a treatment for dry mouth caused by radiation therapy to the head and neck. It increases the amount of saliva and sweat made by saliva and sweat glands. Evoxac is a type of cholinergic agonist. Also called cevimeline hydrochloride.

A type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Also called peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor and pPNET.

A group of cancers that includes Ewing tumor of bone (ETB or Ewing sarcoma of bone), extraosseous Ewing (EOE) tumors, primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET or peripheral neuroepithelioma), and Askin tumors (PNET of the chest wall). These tumors all come from the same type of stem cell. Also called EFTs.

Outside of the living body. Refers to a medical procedure in which an organ, cells, or tissue are taken from a living body for a treatment or procedure, and then returned to the living body.

A drug used to treat moderate to severe pain. It may also be used to treat certain types of cough. Exalgo is made from morphine and binds to opioid receptors in the central nervous system. It is a type of opioid and a type of analgesic agent. Also called Dilaudid, hydromorphone hydrochloride, and Hydrostat IR.

An anticancer drug that is a type of topoisomerase inhibitor. Also called DX-8951f.

Removal by surgery.

A surgical procedure in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed for diagnosis. The tissue is then examined under a microscope.

A surgical procedure used to remove moles, cysts, skin cancer, and other skin growths using local anesthesia. To treat skin cancer, the doctor uses a scalpel to remove the entire tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it.