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Ph-Positive ALL Therapy

About 25 percent of adults with ALL have a subtype called “Ph-positive ALL” (also known as “Ph+ ALL” or “Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL”). The leukemia cells of these patients have the Philadelphia chromosome, which is formed by a translocation between parts of chromosomes 9 and 22. A piece of chromosome 9 breaks off and attaches to chromosome 22, and a piece of chromosome 22 similarly breaks off and attaches to chromosome 9. The abnormal chromosome 22 is known as the Philadelphia chromosome. This chromosomal alteration creates a fusion gene called BCR-ABL1.

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

• Is an uncommon blood cancer that has features of two other types of blood cancers. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies CMML as myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms. There are about 1,100 cases each year. 
• Generally affects older adults.
• Is diagnosed in twice as many males than females.

Nicolasa

The first time I heard of Team In Training (TNT) and raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was when my friend and I wanted to run the Nike Women's Half in D.C. We filled out the application and got accepted and started raising money, not having a clue about where this path was going to lead us. It was at that time that I began to realize the impact leukemia and lymphoma have had on my family and friends, whether they or a loved one had gone through treatment. I wrote all of their names on my singlet and carried them with me along that course.

J.J.

The first time I remember hearing of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was through Team In Training (TNT), specifically from a brochure I picked up at a bike shop that invited one to train for a 109-mile bike ride with TNT. It was 2007, and I thought it sounded like a blast. I convinced my girlfriend at the time, Stacey, to join me. We used the occasion to buy some fancy new bikes. With some fundraising and committed training dates, we would be able to say we had done a Century Bike Ride! Cool!

Savanna

My name is Savanna, I’m 24 years old, and I am a two-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor! I was diagnosed in 2017 when I was 18 during my freshman year of college. I had been severely sick for a year and a half with symptoms ranging from nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, lack of appetite to a distended abdomen, debilitating migraines, swollen lymph nodes all over my body, extreme fatigue, and drenching night sweats. I had test after test done, saw doctor after doctor, and after months of being my own advocate, I had finally received a diagnosis.

Hairy Cell Leukemia

• Is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow
• Is a rare type of chronic leukemia 
• Hairy cell leukemia gets its name from the short, thin projections that look like hair on its cells.

• Many people with hairy cell leukemia live good-quality lives for years with medical care.
• Hematologists and oncologists are specialists who treat people who have hairy cell leukemia or other types of blood cancer.
• The drug cladribine is the initial treatment for most people who h

Disease- and Treatment-Related Pain

People with cancer can have pain caused by the cancer itself, its treatment, or both. They may also have pain caused by other health problems that are unrelated to cancer (like arthritis or diabetes).

Increased pain does not mean that the cancer is getting worse, but you should always tell your healthcare team if you have increased pain.

It’s important to remember that no matter what the cause, pain can be treated.

Pain Treatment

Pain can be managed effectively in a number of ways, depending on the cause and type of your pain. Treatments may include:

The hills I have climbed

Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia

• Is an uncommon blood cancer that have overlapping features of two other types of blood cancers.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing hairy cell leukemia usually involves a series of tests, including blood tests and bone marrow tests.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Is a type of cancer that generally develops in the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue found in organs such as the stomach, intestines or skin. In some cases, NHL involves bone marrow and blood.
• Isn't just one disease–it's actually a diverse group of blood cancers that all arise from lymphocytes (white blood cells that are part of the immune system).
• Lymphoma cells may develop in just one place or in many sites in the body.
• NHL has many different subtypes which are either indolent (slow-growing) or aggressive (fast-grow

Communicating With Your Partner

Discussing experiences, feelings and concerns with your partner(s)—giving each other the chance to talk and listen—is an important part of maintaining or improving your quality of life. Your partner may have his or her own concerns, such as being afraid of hurting you during sex, feeling guilty or selfish for wanting to be intimate with you or not knowing how to talk about their feelings. You may also want to talk about seeking help from a professional, such as a couples counselor or sex therapist.

What to Tell Your Child

Regardless of age, children are usually aware when their health causes their parents concern. Your child may experience a variety of emotions, such as anger, guilt, fear, anxiety and sadness, all in quick succession. Sometimes parents wish to shield their child from information about the illness and its treatment. Keep in mind that your child will use his or her imagination to fill in perceived gaps of information. Talk with your child about the illness and its treatment. Listen carefully to what your child is saying (or not saying) and then answer his or her questions.

Dr. George Yagmour

Myles

I’ve always known that I wanted a career in sports in some capacity. My dream since I was in the third grade has been to become a professional football player, but I also was taught the reality of that dream. When you’re little of course you just want to be what you want to be, but as you get older you start to learn what can be in your reach and what the true reality is. As I grew older, I started to think about life after high school football and even college football, if I am blessed with that opportunity.

Diagnosis

While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has PV, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to: 

• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the appropriate treatment

Evaluation of an individual with suspected PV should start with a detailed medical history and a physical examination.

The medical history should include information about the patient’s:

CML Phases and Prognostic Factors

CML has three phases. The phase of your chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) plays a large part in determining the type of treatment you'll receive. Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the phase of CML. Determining the CML phase is based primarily on the number of immature white blood cells (blasts) in the patient’s blood and bone marrow. 

Chronic Phase. Most patients are diagnosed with CML in the with chronic phase of the disease.

​People with chronic phase CML:

Treatment

Treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma is changing due to new drugs and research findings from clinical trials. Therefore, before treatment begins, it is important to consider getting a second opinion at a center with a Hodgkin lymphoma expert.

It's important that your doctor is experienced in treating patients with Hodgkin lymphoma or works in consultation with a Hodgkin lymphoma specialist. This type of specialist is called a hematologist-oncologist.

Supportive Care

Supportive care is given to improve the quality of life for patients with MF. The goal of supportive care is to prevent or treat the symptoms of MF.

Anemia is observed in more than 50 percent of patients with MF at the time of diagnosis. Before considering treatment options, it is important for doctors to rule out and treat the most common causes of anemia such as bleeding, iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency and folic acid deficiency.

Treatment

Harjeet

In May 2018, I moved to Edmonton from India with my husband hoping for a new career, a new life, and to start a family. Things were all right at first. Everything was going smoothly; I was living my normal life, but life had different plans.

In May 2019, I began experiencing high fevers with no other symptoms. Weeks passed, and I found myself in the emergency room numerous times. I was told that it was just a normal viral fever and took Tylenol to relieve it.

Claire

In February 2019, our daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) just three short months after we celebrated her second birthday. We noticed a few discolored bumps on her body and assumed it was just a reaction to a new soap I had purchased, but then they began to pop up on other parts of her body.

Laura

When you hear the words, “Your child has cancer,” your whole world stops, without permission, as you and your child are thrust onto the rollercoaster ride of pediatric cancer, desperate to get off with your sanity and your child’s life intact. Those months, or as was the case for us, years in treatment, are relentless, fraught with confusion and uncertainty as you desperately and constantly search for answers. For direction. For hope.

Imaging Tests

Imaging or radiology tests pass different forms of energy (x-rays, sound waves, radioactive particles or magnetic fields) through your body, creating pictures of the chest, abdomen, head, neck and other parts of the body.