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Glossary of Terms

V - Z

V

Vaccine: A substance used to stimulate the body’s immune system to respond to a specific invader. Vaccines can be used in cancer to stimulate an immune response against cancer cells. Lymphoma vaccines are made using a sample of the tumour obtained from the patient’s lymph nodes.

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood to the heart.

Venipuncture: The process in which the vein is punctured to draw a blood sample, to give medication or to start an intravenous drip.

Venous catheter: A device, usually a flexible tube, that is use to transport medications into the body (through a vein) or take fluids (e.g., urine) out of the body.

Vinblastine: A chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Common brand names are Velban, Velsar, Velbe. Originally derived from the common periwinkle catharantus roseus. Can cause peripheral neuropathy in some patients.

Vincristine: A chemotherapy drug sometimes used to treat NHL. Originally derived from the common periwinkle catharantus roseus. Can cause peripheral neuropathy in some patients.

W

Watch and wait (watchful waiting): A period of using no treatment or little treatment and seeing how the lymphoma progresses. Typically a strategy used for low-grade (indolent) NHL.

Well-differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma: The old Rappaport classification for the form of NHL now known as small lymphocytic lymphoma.

White blood cell (WBC): Avariety of cells that fight infection in the body and are part of the immune system.

White blood cell count: Measurement of the total number of white blood cells in a sample of blood.

X

Xerostomia: A reduction in the production of saliva resulting in a dry mouth. It can be a side effect of cancer treatment.

X-ray: Radiation beams that are used in two ways: in low doses to provide images of the inside of the body for diagnostic purposes and in high doses to treat cancer (radiation therapy).

Y

Z

Zofran^® (generic drug name ondansetron hydrochloride): An antiemetic (nausea suppression) drug commonly prescribed for chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Source: www.lymphomainfo.net

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