GVHD is a condition that occurs in patients who have received an ASCT, and where the graft (stem cells from the donor) reacts against the host (patient receiving the stem cells). An ASCT involves transplanting healthy stem cells from a suitable matching donor such as a sibling, parent or child into a patient with a …
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are chronic blood cancers that arise due to a defect of the myeloid stem cells in the bone marrow which causes the production of too many abnormal blood cells that do not function properly. Normal blood stem cells in the bone marrow develop in time into mature blood cells that include: …
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Side Effects Read More »
Around 4000 people are diagnosed with acute leukaemia annually in the UK, 3200 with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and 800 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Survival figures for both AML and ALL vary greatly with age: in the over-65s, only 15% with ALL and 5% with AML live for more than 5 years after diagnosis. …
The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib was the first treatment to specifically target cancer cells, rather than the relatively indiscriminate effects of conventional chemotherapy on any rapidly dividing cells. This concept of targeted treatment in cancer is one of the important advances in modern medicine in the last 30 years. Indeed, treatment with TKIs has transformed …
Conventional methods of detecting disease remission in cancers such as leukaemia rely on microscopic analysis of tissue samples. Measurable (or minimal) residual disease describes the presence of disease beyond the levels of sensitivity afforded by microscopy. This course describes what is meant by measurable residual disease, the opportunities and challenges afforded by its identification …
Our immune system has vital roles in supporting and protecting against cancer development. In a highly complex network of interacting cells, immune cells both promote cancer cell growth and survival and selectively kill malignant cells. It is this killing ability that cancer cells must escape from in order to survive and flourish. Research into the …
