A
Avastin (The Brand name for Bevacizumab): is a tumour-starving (anti-angiogenic) therapy. Avastin is designed to block a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Normal cells make VEGF, but some cancer cells make too much VEGF. Blocking VEGF may prevent the growth of new blood vessels, including normal blood vessels and blood vessels that feed tumours. Unlike chemotherapy that attacks the cancer cells, the purpose of Avastin is to block the blood supply that feeds the tumour. This can stop the tumour from growing.
B
C
Cancer
Cisplatin (Platinol is the Brand Name): Cisplatin is an anti-cancer (“antineoplastic” or “cytotoxic”) chemotherapy drug. Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy medicine used to treat cancer. Cancers form when some cells within the body multiply uncontrollably and abnormally. These cells spread, destroying nearby tissues. Cisplatin works by stopping the cancer cells from multiplying. It does this by binding together the strands of the cells’ genetic material, DNA. DNA is needed for growth and multiplication of cells. Cisplatin damages the DNA inside the cancer cells and so prevents them from multiplying. Unfortunately, cisplatin can also affect normal, healthy cells, particularly those that multiply quickly, such as blood cells and hair cells. The most important side effect is on the bone marrow where blood cells are made. Cisplatin can decrease the production of blood cells, leaving people susceptible to infection. Regular blood tests are therefore needed to monitor the levels of blood cells.
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
PET scan: Stands for Positron Emission Tomography (yep, that’s why its abbreviated) and is most definitely not a scan of my dog Bob. These nifty scans are used to show a 3D image of your organs and tissues to see how they are working. You’ll start by being injected with a radioactive tracer (usually this is 18F-FDG in the case of cancer). The tracer collects in areas of your body that have higher levels of chemical activity, which often correspond to areas of disease. On a PET scan, these areas show up as bright spots. Now, because cancer cells have a higher metabolic rate than noncancerous cells, and therefore a high level of chemical activity, cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET scans, which aids diagnosis.
Q
R
Radiation Therapy/ RadioTherapy: I used to get confused as people in the hospitals tend to refer to radiation as radiotherapy – I thought it sounded like I’d be listening to music for a period of time – I mean, music does make me happy! Anyway, they both mean the same thing and it’s the use of radiation to kill cancer cells. From what I understand, Radiotherapy is generally considered the most effective cancer treatment after surgery, although like with all these treatments, how effective it is for you, is anyone’s guess. There are different ways of administering RadioTherapy; a) External radiotherapy – this is where a machine is used to aim beams of radiation at the cancer – think Dr Evil in Austin Powers “Lazer Beams”, b) radiotherapy implants (brachytherapy), where small pieces of radioactive metal are (usually temporarily) placed inside your body near the cancer, and c) radiotherapy injections, capsules or drinks (radioisotope therapy), where you swallow a radioactive liquid, or have it injected into your blood.
S
Stents. More specifically in my case – urethetic stents. These nifty tubes are currently stopping the tumour from crushing my urethra and in turn saving my kidneys.
T
U
V
W
Wigs: See my blog called Miss Wiggy for the lowdown on the different sorts of wigs you can get, but ultimately can be a lifesaver for those who lose their hair during chemo.
X
Y
Z