Over on the FOH blog we posted a blog about why we are still here 5 years later, so I thought I would post a short post here as well. I learned about Allie through Baby Center, I found her about 2 weeks before she passed away. The night i found her I went back and read the entire story from beginning on Jenny's blog, I sat with tears in my eyes, and when she passed I felt like I too had lost someone even though I had never met Allie. In the years that have passed, I have followed many children, most of which who have also lost their battle. Each time I am crushed, I feel mad that their lives were cut short by this horrible disease. I am sad for what they could have been, and each time I think what would I do if that were my child. I couldn't imagine loosing one of my children. No parent should have to, and so I will continue with the fight to help find a cure. No more children or anyone should have to die from this horrible disease. I hope in another 5 years there will be no need for FOH because there will be no cancer.
Here are some Leukemia fact form LLS
Leukemia* is a malignant disease (cancer) of the bone marrow and blood. It is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. Leukemia is divided into four categories: myelogenous or lymphocytic, each of which can be acute or chronic. The terms myelogenous or lymphocytic denote the cell type involved. Thus, the four major types of leukemia are:
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
Acute leukemia is a rapidly progressing disease that results in the accumulation of immature, functionless cells in the marrow and blood. The marrow often can no longer produce enough normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Anemia, a deficiency of red cells, develops in virtually all leukemia patients.
Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and allows greater numbers of more mature, functional cells to be made.
New Cases An estimated 231,461 people in the United States are living with leukemia. An estimated 44,270 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008. Chronic leukemias account for 7 percent more cases than acute leukemias. Most cases occur in older adults; the median patient age at diagnosis is 67 years. Leukemia is expected to strike 10 times as many adults as children in 2008. (About 44,270 adults compared with 4,220 children, ages 0-19). About 33 percent of cancers in children ages 0-14 years are leukemia. The most common form of leukemia among children under 19 years of age is Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).
The most common types of leukemia in adults are acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), with an estimated 13,290 new cases this year, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with some 15,110 new cases this year. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is estimated to affect about 4,830 persons this year. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) will account for about 5,430 cases this year. Other unclassified forms of leukemia account for the 5,610 remaining cases.
Incidence by Gender Incidence rates for all types of leukemia are higher among males than among females. In 2008, males are expected to account for more than 56 percent of the cases of leukemia. (Note: Incidence rates are the number of new cases in a given year not counting the pre-existing cases. The incidence rates are usually presented as a specific number per 100,000 population.)
Incidence by Race and Ethnicity Leukemia rates are higher in Americans of European descent than among those of any other ace/ethnicity. However, incidence rates for all types of cancer combined are more than 5 percent higher among Americans of African descent than among those of European descent. The incidence rate for all cancers among African Americans, from 2001-2005, was 500.6 per 100,000 population, averaging about 190,895 cases each year.
From 1995 to 2004, incidence rates for leukemia have shown the greatest decline in American Indian/Alaska natives.
Leukemia is one of the top 15 most frequently occuring cancers in minority groups. Leukemia incidence is highest among whites and lowest among American Indians/Alaskan natives.
Leukemia rates are substantially higher for Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan natives white and Asian/Pacific islander children than for black children. Hispanic children of all races under the age of 20 have the highest rates of leukemia.
Incidence by Age Group Incidence rates by age differ for each of the leukemias. The leukemias represented 27 percent of all cancers occurring among children younger than 20 years of age from 2001-2005. In the 17 SEER areas of the United States, there were 4,895 children under the age of 20 diagnosed with leukemia from 2001-2005, including 3,671 with ALL. It is estimated that in 2008, 4,532 children will be diagnosed with leukemia throughout the United States. About 3,293 new cases of childhood ALL are expected to occur in 2008.
The most common form of leukemia among children under 20 is ALL. ALL is the most common cancer in children 1 to 5 and 7 years old. The incidence of ALL among 1- to 4-year-old children is more than nine times greater than the rate for young adults ages 20-24.
There is optimism within centers that specialize in the treatment of children because survival statistics have dramatically improved over the past 30 years. Most children under 19 with ALL are cured.
From 1975 to 2005, the incidence of AML slowly rose among adolescents and young adults. Among 15- to 19-year olds, ALL incidence was approximately twice that of AML. In 25- to 29-year olds, AML incidence was approximately one-third higher than that of ALL.
CLL incidence increases dramatically among people who are age 50 and older, and AML and CML incidence increase dramatically among people who are age 55 and older. These cancers are most prevalent in the seventh, eighth and ninth decades of life.
Signs and Symptoms Signs of acute leukemia may include easy bruising or bleeding (as a result of platelet deficiency), paleness or easy fatigue (as a result of anemia), recurrent minor infections or poor healing of minor cuts (because of inadequate white cell count).
These symptoms and signs are not specific to leukemia and may be caused by other disorders. They do, however, warrant medical evaluation. A proportion of people with chronic leukemia may not have major symptoms and are diagnosed during a periodic medical examination. The diagnosis of leukemia requires examination of the cells in blood or marrow.
Possible Causes Anyone can get leukemia. Leukemia affects all ages and sexes. The cause of leukemia is not known. Chronic exposure to benzene in the workplace and exposure to extraordinary doses of irradiation can be causes of the disease, although neither explains most cases.
Treatment The aim of treatment is to bring about a complete remission. Complete remission means that there is no evidence of the disease and the patient returns to good health with normal blood and marrow cells. Relapse indicates a return of the cancer cells and return of other signs and symptoms of the disease. For acute leukemia, a complete remission (no evidence of disease in the blood or marrow) that lasts five years after treatment often indicates cure. Treatment centers report increasing numbers of patients with leukemia who are in complete remission at least five years after diagnosis of their disease.
Survival The five-year relative survival rate has nearly quadrupled in the past 48 years for patients with leukemia. In 1960-63, when compared to a person without leukemia, a patient had a 14 percent chance of living five years. By 1975-1977, the five year relative survival rate had jumped to 35 percent, and in 1996-2004 the overall relative survival rate was slightly above 50 percent (51.2 percent). The relative survival rates differ by the age of the patient at diagnosis, gender, race and type of leukemia.
During 1996- 2004 relative survival rates overall were:
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): 66.1 percent overall; 91.2 percent for children under 5
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): 76.2 percent
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): 21.3 percent overall; 55.2 percent for children under 15
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): 46.7 percentAt the present time there are approximately 231,461 people living with leukemia in the United States.
Deaths It is anticipated that approximately 21,710 deaths in the United States will be attributed to leukemia in 2008 (12,460 males and 9,250 females).
There will be an estimated 4,390 deaths from CLL and 1,460 deaths from ALL. There will be an estimated 8,820 deaths from AML and 450 deaths from CML. Unclassified forms of leukemia will account for 6,590 additional deaths.
The estimated numbers of deaths attributed to leukemia in the United States are about 35 percent higher for males than females.
In 2008, leukemia will be the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths in men and the seventh most common in women.
Between 2001-2005, African-Americans who were diagnosed with leukemia between the ages of 25 and 64 had a higher death rate than whites from the disease. Non-Hispanic whites have the highest death rates from leukemia, while Asian/Pacific Islanders and American Indians/Alaska Natives have the lowest death rates. From 1995 to 2004, death rates from leukemia declined in all race/ethnic groups, with the greatest average decline in American Indians/Alaskan Natives.
The leukemia death rate for children 0-14 years of age in the United States has declined 67 percent over the past three decades. Despite this decline, leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under age 20. About 497 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from leukemia in 2008.
Get More Information Further details of treatment and supportive care and the beneficial and adverse effects of treatment may be obtained from the Society's booklets on acute myelogenous, acute lymphocytic, chronic myelogenous and chronic lymphocytic and fact sheets on hairy cell leukemia and the chronic myelomonocytic leukemias.
Read or order the free LLS publications on the specific types of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
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Tag, you are it!!!
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