Blood and Lymphatic System Terms

The immune system's own restraint, written in shorthand: a cell whose entire purpose is stopping other cells from going too far.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood.

A type of leukemia in which large T lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that contain granules (small particles) are found in the blood.

A group of lymph system cancers arising from the immune cells that direct and carry out attacks rather than make antibodies.

A type of leukemia in which large T lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that contain granules (small particles) are found in the blood.

A type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the lymph nodes and spleen.

A word-order variant of the same name, describing the cell that decides when an immune response has gone on long enough.

Tacrolimus suppresses the immune system by blocking a step in T cell activation, and is used mainly to prevent rejection after organ transplantation.

A drug used to treat skin problems caused by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that have not gotten better after other treatment.

A cord-like structure in the male reproductive system that contains nerves, blood and lymph vessels, and the vas deferens (a coiled tube that carries sperm out of the testicle).

A substance being studied in the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas.

A tiny piece of a cell found in the blood that breaks off from a large cell found in the bone marrow.

Three mechanisms cover nearly all of it: too few made, too many destroyed, or too many held back in the spleen.

A substance made by the body that helps make blood cells, especially platelets.

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel or the heart and can partly or completely obstruct normal blood flow.

A slow-growing growth in the front of the chest, often discovered because of unrelated muscle weakness.

An organ that does most of its work before adulthood and then fades, having already trained the immune cells a person keeps for life.

Tonsil most often refers to the palatine tonsils, paired lymphoid masses at the back of the mouth that help screen inhaled and swallowed material.

A monoclonal antibody that is used in the treatment of certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Radiation therapy to the mantle field, the spleen, the lymph nodes in the upper abdomen, and the lymph nodes in the pelvic area.