As a result of the vital programs provided by the Leukemia Research Foundation (LRF), not only are countless lives served, but with the development of new treatments resulting from LRF funded research, countless lives are also saved. 


Leukemia is often referred to as cancer of the blood. It is characterized by the widespread uncontrolled proliferation of large numbers of abnormal blood cells, usually white blood cells, which take over the bone marrow and quickly spread to the blood stream. Other organs that may also be affected include lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs. Leukemia has many types and subtypes, affecting children and adults alike.

Lymphoma is a cancer which originates in lymphoid tissue (several types of immune system cells that work together to resist infections) including the lymph glands, liver, spleen, bowel and bone marrow. The disease results from the uncontrolled production of lymphocytes, the cells involved in the immune defenses of the body. The general term includes about a dozen different forms of the disease but there are two main categories: Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a group of closely linked conditions in which the process of blood cell formation is disturbed by a failure of immature blood cells to grow and develop normally. These abnormal blood cells die before they leave the bone marrow or shortly after getting into the bloodstream. As a result, people with MDS have too few healthy blood cells. In contrast to leukemia, the production of any, and sometimes of all, types of blood cells is affected. There are many subtypes of MDS.

  

 

2008 StatisticsEstimated new casesEstimated deaths
Hodgkin lymphoma8,5101,290
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma65,98019,500
Total lymphomas74,49020,790
Acute lymphocytic leukemia5,7601,400
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia15,4904,390
Acute myeloid leukemia12,8109,000
Chronic myeloid leukemia5,050470
Other leukemia5,6806,610
Total leukemias44,79021,870
TOTALS119,28042,660

 

General Statistics

  • Leukemia accounts for about 33% of cancer cases in children aged 0-14
  • An estimated 1,380 cancer deaths are expected to occur among children aged 0-14 in 2008—about one-third of them from leukemia.
  • Leukemia is the leading cause of death by disease in children and young adults between the ages of 0 and 20
  • The 5-year survival rate for childhood leukemia is 82%.
  • Leukemia is diagnosed 10 times more often in adults than in children.
  • Due to advances in treatment, there has been a dramatic improvement in survival for people with acute lymphocytic leukemia, from a 5-year relative survival rate of 42% in 1975 to 1977 to 66% in 1996 to 2004. Survival rates for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia have increased from 58% to 88% over the same time period.
  • Since the early 1970s, incidence rates for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have nearly doubled.
  • The 1-year relative survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are 92% and 80% respectively; the 5-year rates are markedly lower at 85% and 65%; 10-year survival is 81% and 54% respectively.
  • Blood cancer does not discriminate; it can effect any age, any race, any gender, any time. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the 5th most common cancer in the US.
  • An estimated 10,000 - 15,000 new cases of MDS will be diagnosed this year. Most patients with MDS are older than 60 years of age. The number of new cases seems to be going up, perhaps because our population is getting older and there are more cancer survivors who have had chemotherapy, an important risk factor for MDS.
  • Every day 122 are diagnosed with leukemia and 59 lose the fight
  • Every day 204 Americans are diagnosed with lymphoma and 56 lose the fight.
  • Leukemia strikes males and females of all ages and all races. It does not discriminate.