Remarkable progress has
been made in treating patients with blood cancers. Sixty years ago there
were few effective treatments for children or adults with blood cancer and
the rate of survival was very low. Today, about 75 percent of children with
acute leukemia and nearly 80 percent of children and adults with Hodgkin
lymphoma are cured. Improved therapies and stem cell transplantation have
dramatically improved survival rates for most blood cancers, and even
patients with diseases resistant to treatment, such as myeloma, are
benefiting from new drugs that are increasing the rate and duration of
remissions.
Yet, more than three quarters of a million people in the United States
currently have some form of blood cancer. Every ten minutes someone dies
from a blood cancer and an estimated 52,310 will die from one this year.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a beacon of help and guidance to
those touched by blood cancer and each September the Society observes
Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month, to shed light on these
diseases and let the public know that there are resources available for
blood cancer patients and their families.
"Awareness Month is an opportunity to increase the public's
understanding of blood cancers and encourage people to support the funding
of research to find cures and education programs to help patients have the
best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience," said Dwayne
Howell, the Society's President and CEO.
Since its inception in 1949, the Society has invested more than $550
million in research to find cures and better therapies, and funded $64.9
million in 2007 alone. The Society supports investigators' efforts to find
new molecular targets for treatment and potential immunotherapies, and
helps them translate their laboratory findings into more effective
therapies for patients.
Through its patient services programs, the Society offers a
comprehensive array of education and support services to blood cancer
patients and their families There are family support groups, patient
education workshops featuring health experts, and First Connection - a
peer-to-peer support program that matches newly diagnosed patients with
trained volunteer survivors. A back to school program help children treated
for cancer transition back to school. The Society also provides financial
assistance to patients with significant financial need and an insurance
co-pay assistance program.
The Society's web site -- LLS is the definitive resource for
information about blood cancers and its Information Resource Center (IRC)
is a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and
health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients
and their families and caregivers.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(R), headquartered in White Plains, NY,
with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest
voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research
and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure
leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality
of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the
Society has invested more than $550 million in research specifically
targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made
4.2 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare
professionals.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
LLS