What does refractory mean in cancer?

Listen to pronunciation. (reh-FRAK-tor-ee KAN-ser) Cancer that does not respond to treatment. The cancer may be resistant at the beginning of treatment or it may become resistant during treatment.

What does refractory mean in medical term?

Listen to pronunciation. (reh-FRAK-tor-ee) In medicine, describes a disease or condition that does not respond to treatment.

What is the difference between relapsed and refractory?

Relapsed CLL is the term for disease that responded to therapy but, after 6 or more months, stopped responding. Refractory disease is the term for CLL that does not result in a remission (but may be stable) or disease that gets worse within 6 months of the last treatment.

What are refractory cells?

The word “refractory” in general use means stubborn or intractable, and in medicine it is specifically applied to disease that does not respond to treatment. Refractory cancer refers to cancer that may be resistant at the beginning of treatment, or becomes resistant during treatment.

What is the cure for the refractory?

Selinexor (Xpovio) is a new type of multiple myeloma drug called a selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE). The FDA approved it for treatment of relapsed or refractory disease in July 2019. It’s combined with dexamethasone and is used to treat people who’ve tried at least four previous therapies.

What is refractory cancer?

The meaning of refractory cancer is cancer that fails to respond to medical treatment. This may present as resistance to treatment from the start, or the acquisition of resistance by the cancer cells during the course of therapy. Refractory cancer is also called resistant cancer.

What is refractory symptom?

A refractory symptom is one that cannot be adequately controlled despite aggressive efforts to identify a tolerable therapy that does not compromise consciousness (Cherny 1994). A refractory symptom may be subjective and, at times, nonspecific.