Skip to main content

Search Results

Targeting AML

 

Not for lack of trying, we’ve seen very little progress over the past 40 years in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive and deadly blood cancer. But we’re finally starting to see the needle move and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is playing a leading role in going on the offensive against the disease.

Thank You to Our Extraordinary LLS Volunteers

You may have driven an important project to the finish line or reached a new fundraising goal. Perhaps you comforted someone in need, greeted families with a warm smile or raised your voice to influence change. I hope we get the opportunity to meet one day (if we haven’t already), but until then: our heartfelt thanks go out to you, our incredible volunteers.

You are at the heart of our quest to find cancer cures, and our gratitude to you runs deep because you are truly the driving force behind our mission.

Methotrexate

Methotrexate is FDA approved, alone or with other drugs, to treat people who have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that has spread to the central nervous system (CNS) or to prevent ALL from spreading to the CNS. It is also FDA approved to treat people who have advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma and advanced mycosis fungoides. It may also be used to treat  people with other types of blood cancer.

Omacetaxine mepesuccinate

Omacetaxine mepesuccinate is FDA approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic or accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with resistance and/or intolerance to two or more tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI).

The effectiveness of omacetaxine mepesuccinate was evaluated using a combined group of patients whose cancer progressed after previous treatment with two or more TKIs. All participants were treated with omacetaxine mepesuccinate.

Doxorubicin

Doxorubicin is FDA approved to treat people who have some kinds of blood cancer, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloblastic leukemia, and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Acalabrutinib

Acalabrutinib is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with

  • Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy 

    This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.​
     
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

Is a Clinical Trial Right For You?

Because it can take up to 15 years for a new blood cancer drug to be studied and made available for doctors to prescribe, some patients opt for clinical trials as a way to gain early access to a promising treatment. Advancing new cancer therapies requires years of extensive clinical investigation, but clinical trials come with no guarantees. "A drug is allowed to enter the clinical trial phase based on scientific evidence including cell and animal studies, but it's still considered experimental and unproven.

#ASH15 Day 3: Big Advances in Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

John Byrd, M.D., of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of the world’s renowned scientists in the field of blood cancer. LLS has been supporting his work for the better part of two decades. While Byrd has, of late, turned his attention to the problem of finding better therapies for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it is in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that he has made his mark. 

Topotecan

Topotecan is an FDA-approved cancer drug that is used to treat people who have certain types of cancer including acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This drug may cause a temporary loss of hair in some people. After treatment with topotecan has ended, normal hair growth should return.

Tile under microscope

Clinical Trials: Why They Matter and How to Make Them More Accessible

Cancer treatments can be lifesaving. As an organization, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has invested more than $1.7 billion in blood cancer research since its inception in 1949—all with the hope that this research leads to scientific breakthroughs that improve and save lives. 

But to make sure this research leads to safe and innovative treatments, we have to thoroughly test it.  

Impact of Health Insurance on Mortality for Children and AYAs Newly Diagnosed with a Blood Cancer: A Population-Based Multistate Evaluation

Lacking continuous insurance is a key barrier to access to timely care. This study will provide the first evidence of whether insurance continuity provides a survival benefit, and how Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act affects insurance continuity and the associated downstream changes in survival for children, adolescents, and young adults with blood cancers. This study will inform policy interventions toward increasing access and reducing disparities in blood cancer outcomes.