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Vaccine Therapy

Vaccines designed to treat cancer don't prevent the disease in the same way that conventional vaccine therapy prevents conditions such as measles or polio. The therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to treat an already-present cancer and reduce its potential to grow.

Researchers are working on vaccines that could prevent cancer from recurring. Currently, there are no licensed blood cancer vaccines. Vaccines for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are still in development and available only in clinical trials.

Skin and Nails

Skin-related side effects from cancer treatment include:

• Dry skin
• Redness
• Itchiness
• Skin lesions

Tell your doctor about any changes to your skin. Your doctor can recommend or prescribe appropriate treatment, including topical solutions (creams, lotions or gels) to soothe your skin or relieve itching.

Tell you doctor immediately if you notice:

Special Considerations

Surgery. Patients with PV have increased risk for bleeding complications after surgery. Because your surgeon may not be aware of your increased risk for bleeding and blood clots, coordination between your surgeon and your hematologist-oncologist is very important. For elective surgeries, it is recommended that your platelet and red blood counts be in normal range before the surgery occurs.

'Chemobrain'

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause problems with cognitive (mental) functions, such as concentration, memory and the ability to multitask. Most chemotherapy patients experience these effects, sometimes referred to as “chemobrain” or brain fog, to some degree, although doctors are unable to predict who might be affected.

The cognitive effects of chemotherapy for some are long-lasting. A small percentage of patients have long-term effects known as "chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment." The symptoms include a mental fogginess and effects on:

Jarvis

In the fall of 2019, life was very active for me and my 4-year-old son Jarvis. I was busy working 2-3 jobs, and Jarvis was busy just being a kid. Almost every day after school we would go to the park so he could run around and play. He was even starting to get interested in bikes and wanting to learn to ride when he started to mention his feet were hurting.

Jonathan

I was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on July 26, 2019, and even without the involvement of a pandemic, I imagine that’s reason enough to believe that to me 2018 seems like a lifetime ago. Still, I can remember it well enough: A wide-eyed younger version of me arrived at college orientation, somehow simultaneously thrilled to begin a new chapter of his life and paralyzingly terrified of the imminent unknown.

Henry

On April 6, 2021, we heard for the first time, “We think it's leukemia.” As I watched my boy jumping on the neighbor's bounce house enjoying the first warm spring afternoon, my mind went to one simple question, “Why him?” Up until that point, our then three-year-old, Henry, had been the happiest and healthiest toddler.

Aryan

Hello, my name is Aryan. I am 13 years old. I was almost five years old when I first got diagnosed with cancer. It started as a normal summer like always, and we were planning to go somewhere. My dad was always traveling because of work, so it was just me and my mom. I would mostly spend time at my grandparents’ house because I could play games with them. One day my dad saw a bump on the back of my head, and our pediatrician told us that it was a lymph node. My pediatric doctor told my parents that it's normal, part of recovery from a fever or cough and to monitor it.

Trisha

On November 15, 2019 at 29 years old, my world changed forever. I was diagnosed with Plasma Cell Leukemia. It is basically a hybrid of Multiple Myeloma and statistically only shows in men over 60. I wanted to be special but not like this! At my 6 week postpartum appointment with my second babe, my stomach had not been shrinking like it should but I assumed it was because it was my second baby or the diastasis recti. My OB did a ultrasound and saw a lot of ascites and that my liver was massive so she instructed I go to the ER as that was not normal.

Roberto

In the fall of 2014, I was living my dream. I had just finished my freshman year at NYU, where I studying musical theater. I was living in the East Village, experiencing everything that New York has to offer. Even though I was a long way from my family in Miami, I absolutely loved it. However, I soon started to feel lethargic, coupled with a lymph node that was popping out of my neck and getting bigger. Something just wasn’t right. I was downing 9 Advil a day and started seeing doctors to try and figure out what was going on.

Gregg

I sailed through the first 56 years of my life...bachelor's degree, master's degree, 20 years as a physical education teacher, 15 years as a district administrator and school principal.  Along the way I founded AZ Disabled Sports, the Desert Challenge Games, SkiAble and other programming for individuals with physical disabilities. 

Laraine

November 21st is Family Volunteer Day.  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) encourages you to volunteer as a family today. Whatever you choose to do, do it together. Some ideas include: take a few minutes to call a friend, neighbor or colleague; cook a meal together and drop it at the doorstep of someone in need; rake a neighbor’s yard or put a book in a neighborhood lending library.

To honor this day, we are sharing the story about a family faced with a cancer diagnosis, who banded together when the future seemed so unclear.

Steve

"This is just for now; I will get past this." Being diagnosed at age 56 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was the biggest surprise of my life. I was active, healthy, and strong, and had just "married off" my daughter days earlier. Oddly, I didn't experience much fear; I knew my life was changing greatly and that there would be challenges ahead that I'd never imagined. But I never thought to myself, "If I survive this." It was always, "When I'm cured of this." I had this optimism and countenance that everything would be okay and that I would live to be a grandfather.

Julie

My name is Julie. I’m a loving mother of three outstanding kids, a successful businesswoman, wife, breast cancer survivor, and now mother of a true cancer warrior. Ellis, my now 9-year-old son (age 4 at diagnosis), was diagnosed on March 21, 2020 with leukemia. This diagnosis was mere days after the world spiraled into shutdown from COVID-19.Our life, as my family and I knew it, was forever changed the week of March 15, 2020.

Paul

Thank you on behalf of the Freeman Wilner Family for this Honored Hero Award in memory of my father, Dr. Freeman Wilner, he was a hero to many.

Our History

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was born out of a family's grief following the death of their teenage son. Robert "Robbie" Roesler de Villiers, son of a well-to-do New York family, was only 16 when he quickly succumbed to leukemia in 1944. Five years later, frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for what was then considered a hopeless disease, parents Rudolph and Antoinette de Villiers started a fundraising and education organization in their son's name.

Signs and Symptoms

A person who has signs or symptoms that suggest the possibility of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is usually referred to a blood cancer specialist called a hematologist-oncologist. The doctor will order additional tests and a tissue biopsy to make a diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of NHL are also associated with a number of other, less serious diseases.

The most common early sign of NHL is painless swelling of one or more lymph node(s). 

Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell transplantation is a procedure in which patients receive healthy stem cells to replace their own stem cells that have been destroyed by cancer or cancer treatments. The goal of stem cell transplantation is to cure the patient by destroying the cancer cells with high doses of chemotherapy and then to help the body start a new supply of blood cells.

Returning to School

Consider educating family members, friends, school personnel and healthcare providers about your child's possible long-term and late effects of treatment. In particular, talk with teachers about your child's needs before he or she returns to school, as they and other school personnel may not be aware of the potential for long-term and late effects of treatment.

Keith

Hi! My name is Keith. I’m currently 37 years old. I was diagnosed on November 6, 2015, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). My wife, Tesia, was proudly serving in our finest Navy at the Pentagon when I received the news. She came home, and I had to deliver the news to her. It was rough; it was scary; it was a blur. I felt like I was on autopilot.

Carter

In May 2019, when Carter was just two years old. While attending his cousin’s graduation in New York City, I knew something was not right because he was not feeling well. We rushed him to New York Presbyterian Hospital where he received several blood and platelet transfusions. He was then transferred to Cornell Medical Center where many tests were performed that resulted in the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). When we heard those three word’s Carter has cancer, we did not expect that news!

Joan

What a beautiful wedding, a beautiful bride, and a handsome groom. Love was in the air. For 10 weeks this lovely couple lived in their honeymoon state of mind. They had been blessed with the ability to buy a small condo that they filled with dreams and aspirations of what was to come. Miranda was her name. She was physically very petite but oversized in her desire to be the best wife ever to Joe. Her long, dark hair emphasized those large, dark eyes and creamy clear skin. Ten weeks later, the diagnosis was leukemia. She took it as her personal challenge to do what she must to survive.

Jacqueline

After a year of misdiagnoses, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) on Valentine's Day 2007 when I was 22 years old. I had to take medical leave from my senior year of college to move home with my parents to undergo treatment in Albany, New York. After seven months of chemo, I was in remission and have been since!

Virginia

Last August I was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). I was going into my senior year, but instead of going to my first day of school, I had to go to my first day of chemotherapy. In October, after two full cycles of chemo, I got to ring my cancer-free bell and begin my recovery process. Today, I am in the process of growing back all my red hair and training to play Division One soccer at George Mason University in the fall.

David

I am a proud, 52-year-old stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor now living in Los Angeles again (my long-time home). I was living in Cleveland to help with some family matters for a couple of years. I found a great new job in Los Angeles, and the very day I accepted the new job, I received my diagnosis (August 25, 2022). That put my life on hold.