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Margot

I lost my father at age 53 to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after a hard 13-month battle. I want to get involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to spread awareness around leukemia and other blood cancers, to hopefully help other patients and loved ones going through this. My brother, Jack Austin, has run 2 marathons under the team "Running for Rob" and has fundraised over $10K for LLS. I want to get involved and fundraise to not only spread awareness and support to those dealing with this dreadful disease.

Treatment Outcomes

Treatment results and outcomes vary among patients. The advent of the chemotherapy drug cladribine (Leustatin®) has resulted in approximately an 85 percent rate of complete remission (no evidence of the disease) and approximately 10 percent rate of partial response.

Many patients remain disease free for years or decades after treatment with cladribine or pentostatin (Nipent®) and have a normal life expectancy.

ALL Subtypes

Doctors classify acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) into subtypes by using various tests. It's important to get an accurate diagnosis since your subtype plays a large part in deciding the type of treatment you'll receive. Depending on your ALL subtype, the doctor will determine

Clinical Trials

Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Clinical trials are under way for patients at every treatment stage and for patients in remission. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continues to invest funds in AML research.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.

Clinical Trials

Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Clinical trials are under way to improve remission rates for CLL. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continues to invest funds in CLL research.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.

Clinical Trials

Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Clinical trials are under way for patients at every treatment stage and for patients in remission. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continues to invest funds in ALL research.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.

Clinical Trials

Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best option for some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Clinical trials are designed to be accurate and very safe. There are clinical trials for newly diagnosed patients, for patients with advanced disease, and for patients who are either intolerant to or resistant to their current medications. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continues to invest funds in CML research.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.

Chemotherapy

If you're being treated for hairy cell leukemia, your first line of defense will likely be chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, you'll be given potent drugs that must be toxic enough to damage or kill leukemic cells. At the same time, they can take aim at normal cells and cause side effects. Yet, not everyone experiences side effects and people react differently.

The chemotherapy drug used to treat hairy cell leukemia is cladribine (Leustatin®). Cladribine is given in a vein (intravenously). You'll usually receive the treatment for seven consecutive days.

Monica

Our daughter, Monica, is a busy mother of three sweet girls, age 12 months, 3 years and 6 years. After a long winter filled with the girls’ colds, infections, and flu, Monica was exhausted.

ALL Subtypes

The subtypes of ALL are identified based on certain features of the leukemia cells. Determining the ALL subtype is an important factor in treatment planning. The doctor will discuss with you which drug combinations are indicated based on your child’s ALL subtype.

Leukemia cells can be classified by the unique set of proteins found on their surface. These unique sets of proteins are known as “immunophenotypes.” Based on immunophenotyping of the leukemia cell, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ALL into two main subtypes.

Graham

I am joining former England and Crystal Palace footballer and leukemia survivor, Geoff Thomas, and 23 other teammates to cycle the full Tour de France route one week ahead of the professionals to raise funds for the UK charity Cure Leukaemia. It's three huge goals — riding the Tour de France, raising $40,000 myself, and the team’s goal of $1 million. But with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) help, I know I can achieve it.

Tom

Hello Friends — this is my leukemia journey, For those of you who don’t know me, my entire 38-year teaching career was spent with 9-12 year olds. I’ve always relished the authenticity and passion of this age group and that led me to a very satisfying and rewarding chapter in my life.

Makenzie

My daughter Makenzie was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in January 2013, when she was just four years old. She had no signs or symptoms of leukemia. One day, Makenzie had a sore throat and we made an appointment with her pediatrician. Turns out she did have strep throat, but an exam also revealed her spleen was very enlarged. At that point, her pediatrician did bloodwork and learned that Makenzie's white cell count was through the roof. We were sent to Texas Children’s Hospital where later that evening she was diagnosed with CML.

Betty

In 2013, after doing the 60 mile, three day walk in support of breast cancer, of which I am also a survivor of, I realized that something seemed wrong as the walk was extremely difficult for me, unlike the previous 5 walks I had done. I made an appointment to see my doctor that next week and after doing some tests, I was told I had acute myloid leukemia. I was told I needed to check into the University of MN hospital that same day. And so began my journey with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Tina

My son Evan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when he was two years and seven months old. He went into remission a month later. He finished his chemotherapy and treatment, but shortly after he relapsed. He went through radiation and chemotherapy again and was given a bone marrow transplant. He never made it out of the hospital and passed away when he was four and a half. The reason I fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is so other parents won’t have to go through what we went through.

Treatment Outcomes

All patients are advised to discuss survival information with their hematologist-oncologists. Keep in mind that outcome data can only show how other people with CMML responded to treatment, and cannot predict how any one person will respond.

Unfortunately, lasting remissions are not common. The expected survival time ranges from a few months to a few years after the initiation of treatment, depending on a variety of risk factors including the percentage of blasts in the blood and marrow, the white blood cell count, and the presence of certain gene mutations.

Signs and Symptoms

Children who have juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) may have the following signs and symptoms:

Difficulty breathing and/or dry cough
Enlarged lymph nodes
Abdominal pain and loss of appetite caused by enlarged kidney, liver and/or spleen
Bone and joint pain
Fatigue and pale skin (from low level of red blood cells)
Easy bruising and bleeding (from low level of platelets)
Frequent infections (from low level of white blood cells)

Some children also have skin changes which can include

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of hairy cell leukemia aren't specific and are common to other, less serious illnesses. However, if you're troubled by any of the following symptoms, see your doctor:

Follow-Up Care

Click here for information about follow-up care, including what to expect, long-term and late effects of treatment, survivorship clinics, and other resources such as The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and your ALL subtype usually involves a series of tests. An accurate diagnosis of the subtype is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor

Jayne & Jenny

My sister Jenny and I both have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and I was doing the Facebook challenge, “50 Miles in November,” for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in honor of us.

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms are changes in the body that may indicate disease. A sign is a change that the doctor sees during an examination or on a laboratory test result. A symptom is a change that a patient can see and/or feel. A person who has signs or symptoms that suggest the possibility of leukemia is usually referred to a specialist. This is a hematologist-oncologist. A hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who has special training in diagnosing and treating blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Andreas Strasser, Ph.D., MSc, FAA

A Pioneering Researcher Developing Targeted Therapies for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma

A cancer researcher trained in cell biology, immunology and molecular oncology, Dr. Strasser has made major contributions leading to discoveries that have found that defects in cell death can cause cancer and impair responses to chemotherapy. With this knowledge, his research team is able to develop new treatments.

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm

For personalized disease and treatment information, or to learn about clinical trials, contact one of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) Information Specialists at (800) 955-4572. Background

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) was previously known as natural killer (NK) cell leukemia/lymphoma. As understanding of the biology and origin of this malignancy has improved, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the term blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in 2008.

Sarah

My daughter Sarah was a fun, smart, and scrappy kid. She was a great student, was involved in Student Council, was President of her class, played in the marching band, and played rugby. She had caught a cold around Thanksgiving of 2010. By December 7, she was in the hospital. We were told she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I wasn’t even sure what leukemia was, but I knew it was serious. I was hoping in a few months she would be okay, and we would move on with life.