Cancer

Chemotherapy- and Radiotherapy-Induced Side Effects

Cancer is often treated with a chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy, unfortunately, often bring with them a variety of side effects ranging from hair loss and appetite changes to decreased general immune function. Current treatments and concomitant supportive care medications may lessen the severity and occurrences of these effects.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) occurs later in life and is a malignancy of the lymphocyte. CLL cells grow uncontrollably in the bone marrow, causing an increased concentration of those cells in the blood. The CLL cells do not affect normal blood cell production as is the case in other forms of leukemia, lessening the symptoms in the early stages of the disease. According to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, nearly 10,020 people are diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the U.S. each year, most of whom are over 50 years old at the time of diagnosis.

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic myelogenous leukemia, also called CML, is a disease in which the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells. CML is a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease that usually occurs during or after middle age, and rarely occurs in children. Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that develop into mature blood cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell. The lymphoid stem cell develops into a white blood cell. The National Cancer Institute estimates that about 4,830 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.