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BRIDGE (Blood cancer Research Initiative Developing Greater Engagement) with community patients

The Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Meyer Cancer Center (MCC) has an internationally recognized, clinical/translational blood cancer research program focused at its Manhattan campus. Elsewhere in New York City, the borough of Queens has 2.3 million and the borough of Brooklyn has 2.5 million residents. Both are among the most ethnically diverse urban areas in the world, and each separately ranks just behind Los Angeles and Chicago in population. Over 50% of patients diagnosed with blood cancers in New York City live in Brooklyn or Queens, and half of those are non-white.

Looking Ahead: LLS Panel Highlights Trends and Advances

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently brought together a world-renowned panel of thought leaders to discuss the latest advances and insights into blood cancer research and treatment, drug costs and patient access, and patient advocacy and policy.

 “There’s never a good time to get cancer but this is a phenomenal time to be fighting it,” said Louis J. DeGennaro, president and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Surviving ALL: An Intimate Look at How Cancer Affected the Careers, Relationships & Fertility of Four Young Adults

A cancer diagnosis is a devastating blow for people of all ages, but presents special challenges for young adults. This period of life is usually a time of transition as they are embarking on journeys such as school, relationships and careers. A cancer diagnosis can bring their lives to a screeching halt in the midst of these new adventures.

Etoposide

Etoposide is used to treat people who have certain types of blood cancer including Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is FDA approved for some types of lung and testicular cancer. This medicine often causes a temporary loss of hair. After treatment with etoposide has ended, normal hair growth should return.

Valerie with a shaved head standing in front of balloons

3 Insights from a Clinical Trial Patient

The road to finding new and better cancer treatments often includes an important step: clinical trials. For patients with hard-to-treat diseases, these studies can be superhighways to the right treatment. A clinical trial can tell oncologists whether a new treatment works, how certain cancer types affect the body, and more.  

Significant Advance for Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients

The Food & Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of an immunotherapy for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who have failed other treatments is a positive development for patients who face a very poor prognosis.

While Hodgkin lymphoma is now considered one of the most curable forms of cancer – with a more than 86 percent five-year-survival rate overall – those patients who relapse after treatment have a much reduced chance of survival.

Eight Years and Counting: "The Pill"

I never would have imagined that I could stave off a deadly blood cancer by taking a pill. Yet that's exactly what I -- and thousands of others with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) -- do every day. That little orange tablet known as Gleevec (imatinib) has led us back to normalcy. As a breast cancer survivor with many friends and family members waging their own cancer battles, I only wish there were more solutions this simple -- and this hopeful.

Split screen showing four survivors: Joan, Stephanie, Stacey, Katie

3 Things You Might Like to Know About Being Newly Diagnosed

A cancer diagnosis is a pivotal moment in a person’s lifetime.  

From that point forward, it’s a part of who you are. It shapes how you think about the world—through the lens of your diagnosis and what’s important to you. 

Targeted Therapy focus of LLS-hosted Symposium at ASH

As researchers gain greater understanding of how cancer works, they are becoming more adept at developing precisely targeted therapies that go after the tumor cells while sparing the healthy cells.

Today The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) kicked off the 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando with a satellite symposium entitled, “Molecularly Targeted Therapies for Hematologic Malignancies.”

Breaking News Leukemia

FDA Approves First CAR T-Immunotherapy for Relapsed/Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced approval of brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus®) as the first and only CAR T-cell treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Roughly half of all ALL cases occur in adults, and unlike pediatric ALL, adults have historically had a poor prognosis. This approval, which follows an FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation and priority review, is a meaningful advance for these patients.

Just Diagnosed? LLS Can Help

Finding out you have blood cancer can bring on a whirlwind of emotions and a plethora of questions. No one expects to get such a diagnosis and there isn’t anything you can do to prepare.  

Regardless of how you came to your diagnosis, most people report not having absorbed a lot of information after hearing the word “cancer." The vocabulary may seem like a foreign language, and the need for support  can be tremendous.

Hawks Legend Surprises Young Fan & Survivor

At 23 years old, Alex Hawkins just started a new job, had a great boyfriend and was an active runner. She spent her free time watching Atlanta Hawks games – she was a fan since she could talk – and enjoying time with her family, chasing around her two nephews while in the midst of helping her sister prepare for a new baby.

After finding an abnormal lump on her neck in 2014, she was diagnosed with B-Cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage III.

LLS-Funded Study Aims to Support Caregivers

This year, LLS received a three-year grant to fund a new intervention study by Carma Bylund, PhD, University of Florida, and her research team that aims to improve family and healthcare communication among adults who care for a parent with blood cancer. This work builds upon in-depth qualitative research completed by Dr. Bylund and LLS in 2018, which identified unique communication challenges faced by these caregivers. Both research studies were funded by the Carolan Research Institute. We sat down with Dr. Bylund to ask her about her work…

 

Ibrutinib

Ibrutinib has been FDA-approved to treat:

  • Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
  • Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) with 17p deletion.
  • Patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM).
  • Adult and pediatric patients age 1 year and older with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy.
Doctor in white coat holding a patient's hands

A Starting Place to Prioritize Your Mental Health

Coping with a blood cancer diagnosis and the whirlwind of experiences that follows can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining for everyone impacted by it. 

Whether you're a patient or caregiver, you begin to realize your life will never be the same.