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Welcome to LeukemiaLinks,
your monthly source of leukemia news, research
updates, clinical trials and events sponsored
by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(LLS). For even more information, regularly
visit our Patient
Services and Disease
Information Web
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LLS Features
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MORE::
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Research
Roundup ::READ
MORE::
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IRC Question of
the Month
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MORE::
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Inspirational
Stories
 Learn
how individuals touched by blood cancer
cope. The LLS LifeMosaic
Web feature offers hundreds of
inspiring stories by patients and families. Read
them or submit
your own. This month, read about Mark. |
Here to
Help
For even more information,
regularly visit the LLS Web site, www.LLS.org, where many of our education programs
are archived free of charge for convenient
access 24/7.
If you haven't found what
you're looking for in LeukemiaLinks ,
please call our Information Resource Center
(IRC) to speak with trained information
specialists. IRC staff are available Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, toll free
at (800) 955-4572; email infocenter@lls.org; or click the "Live Patient Help" button
on the www.LLS.org homepage.
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Commentary
Deborah Banker, Ph.D., shares more
news on
immunotherapies.
Clinical
Trials
We invite you to use
our LLS-supported TrialCheck® Web
site, a clinical trial search service that
offers patients and caregivers immediate access
to listings of all leukemia clinical
trials. Answer just a few simple questions and a
list of available clinical trials related to
your cancer will appear in an easy to read list
of search results.
You may also
want to visit the National Cancer Institute's Cancer
Trials Support Unit, providing resources and
information on Phase III cancer treatment trials
supported by the National Cancer
Institute. :: SELECTED TRIALS::
Newsfeeds &
Podcasts
Now
you can get RSS Feeds and Podcasts from LLS.
:: CLICK HERE TO SIGN
UP::
Free
eNewsletters
Free LLS
eNewsletters deliver the latest information on
research and treatment options, patient services
programs and fundraising events.
::CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
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 Finding
Key to Cancer Drug Gleevec's
Limitations
University of Michigan
researchers have developed an animal model that
provides strong evidence why imatinib, marketed
as Gleevec, helps patients with chronic myeloid
leukemia survive longer, but does not keep the
disease from returning if treatment ends.
Funding for the study came from The Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society.
Forty
Years' War - Lack of Study Volunteers may Hobble
Cancer Fight
There are more than 6,500
cancer clinical trials seeking adult patients,
according to clinicaltrials.gov, a trials
registry. But many will be abandoned along the
way. More than one trial in five sponsored by
the National Cancer Institute failed to enroll a
single subject, and only half reached the
minimum needed for a meaningful result.
The
Fog that Follows Chemotherapy
As more
people with cancer survive and try to return to
their former lives, a side effect of
chemotherapy is getting more and more attention.
Its name is apt, if unappealing: chemo brain.
Nearly every chemotherapy patient experiences
short-term problems with memory and
concentration. But about 15 percent suffer
prolonged effects of what is known medically as
chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment.
Kids
who have survived cancer can tolerate
Ritalin
Despite previous studies
suggesting that childhood cancer survivors with
attention and learning problems have a lot of
side effects while taking methylphenidate
(marketed as Ritalin and other names), most such
children do well on the drug, according to a new
study.
Risk
of Breast Cancer After Radiotherapy in Childhood
Quantified
The results of a study
confirm that girls who undergo radiation for
cancer in childhood have an increased long-term
risk of developing breast cancer, regardless of
the age at exposure. The study findings also
suggest a protective effect of irradiation of
the ovaries on future breast cancer risk in
childhood cancer survivors.
Comprehensive
Look at Rare Leukemia Finds Relatively Few
Genetic Changes Launch Disease
The most
comprehensive analysis yet of the genome of
childhood acute myeloid leukemia found only a
few mistakes in the genetic blueprint,
suggesting the cancer arises from just a handful
of missteps, according to new findings from St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital. This work was
supported in part by The Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society.
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CML:
What Every Newly Diagnosed Patient Needs to
Know
Register for this free telephone
education program taking place on Tuesday,
September 15, 2009 from 12-1 pm ET with featured
speaker Jorge Cortes, MD, Professor of
Medicine, Chief, CML Section, Department of
Leukemia, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center, Houston, TX
My
Personal CLL Journey
LLS is proud to
offer My Personal CLL Journey, an
interactive program following the story and
experience of Mike, a CLL survivor. Kanti Rai,
MD, of the Long Island Jewish Hospital and nurse
practitioner Nancy Driscoll provide expert
insights along the way. Learn More.
My
Personal CML Journey
LLS is proud to
offer My Personal CML Journey, an
interactive, online video education program. The
feature follows the stories and experiences of
two chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
survivors. Learn more.
My
Clinical Trials Journey
Participate in
this personalized and interactive program that
follows the stories and experiences of three
cancer survivors who have participated in
clinical trials.
Co-Pay
Assistance Program Broadens Funding
Qualified patients with chronic myelogenous
leukemia can now receive up to $5,000 in
assistance from LLS' Co-Pay Assistance
Program. The aid helps offset prescription
drug co-pays and other insurance-related
expenses according to disease diagnosis.
LLS
Advocacy
LLS's advocacy team represents
the needs of cancer patients and their
families in Washington, DC and state
capitals throughout the United States. We need
your help. Join our
Advocates Network and make your
voice
heard.
TAKE
ACTION: Urge Your Representative to Support
Increased Cancer Research Funding - Tell
your elected officials that to win the war on
cancer, they need to fund the war on
cancer!
Patient Services
Survey
Please give us
your feedback by completing LLS Disease
& Treatment Publications - Survey for
Patients, Family and Friends.
LLS Blog
The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is committed to
curing blood cancers and helping patients and
their families. Learn
the many ways you can help advance
LLS's mission.
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Prevalence, determinants, and outcomes of
nonadherence to imatinib therapy in patients
with chronic myeloid leukemia: the ADAGIO study.
::READ
MORE::
Comparison of imatinib 400 mg and 800 mg
daily in the front-line treatment of high-risk,
Philadelphia-positive chronic myeloid leukemia:
a European LeukemiaNet Study. ::READ
MORE::
A phase I/II study of rituximab and
etanercept in patients with chronic lymphocytic
leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma. ::READ
MORE::
Fludarabine, amsacrine, high-dose cytarabine
and 12 Gy total body irradiation followed by
allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation is effective in patients with
relapsed or high-risk acute lymphoblastic
leukemia. ::READ
MORE::
Adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and
translocation (1;19) abnormality have a
favorable outcome with hyperfractionated
cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and
dexamethasone alternating with methotrexate and
high-dose cytarabine chemotherapy. ::READ
MORE::
AZD1152 rapidly and negatively affects the
growth and survival of human acute myeloid
leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. ::READ
MORE::
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 Selected Trials
Phase II Study of Bexarotene in
Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia ::READ
MORE::
Rituximab, Pentostatin, Cyclophosphamide, and
Lenalidomide in Treating Patients with
Previously Untreated B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma ::READ
MORE::
Trial of CPX-351 in Adult Patients with First
Relapse Acute Myeloid Leukemia ::READ
MORE::
Phase II Study of Molecular Response in Adult
Patients on Nilotinib with Philadelphia
Chromosome Positive Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
(Ph+ CML) in Chronic Phase and a Suboptimal
Molecular Response to Imatinib ::READ
MORE::
Safety, Efficacy, & Pharmacokinetic Study
of Tamibarotene to Treat Patients with Relapsed
or Refractory APL ::READ
MORE::
>
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IRC Question of
the Month
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Q: I
am scheduled to have radiation therapy as part
of my treatment for leukemia. What side effects
can I expect from this form of treatment?
A: Radiation therapy, also
known as radiotherapy, works by damaging the
genetic material (DNA) within cells, which
prevents them from growing and reproducing.
Although the therapy targets cancer cells,
healthy cells near the cancer cells may also be
damaged. A goal of radiotherapy is to protect
the healthy cells as much as possible, so that
the benefit (destroying cancer cells) outweighs
the risk (harming healthy cells). Side effects
usually occur as a result of the radiation on
tissue that contains rapidly dividing cells.
This includes the hair follicles and the
gastrointestinal tract lining.
Some patients may have no noticeable side
effects or very mild ones. For others, there can
be side effects of a type and severity that
depend on the dose, location, and duration of
the radiation. If radiation is given as
conditioning treatment prior to stem cell
transplant (total body radiation) then more
intense side effects may occur. Side effects of
radiation therapy may include increased fatigue,
hair loss, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite,
skin irritation and mouth sores (mucositis).
Most side effects will gradually go away after
the treatment is finished. Discuss the
course and effects of your treatment with your
doctor and radiation therapist.
Radiotherapy may cause long-term and late
effects (side effects that become apparent
months or years after the completion of
treatment). These effects depend on such factors
as the age of the patient and the dose and
location of treatment. Some potential long-term
and late effects of radiation therapy are the
development of a second cancer or infertility.
It is important to discuss long-term and late
effects with members of your oncology team
before treatment begins.
During and after radiotherapy you need to get
plenty of rest and follow a nutritious diet.
Eating well during and after therapy will help
you to cope with side effects, fight infection,
rebuild healthy tissue and maintain body weight
and energy. You also need to follow your
physician's advice about caring for the areas of
skin that were exposed to radiation.
For more information on radiation therapy and
side effects, you may access the LLS
Radiation Therapy Web page. You can also
view, print or order the free LLS
fact sheets Long-Term and Late Effects of
Treatment in Adults and Long-Term
and Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood
Leukemia or
Lymphoma.
Please call our
Information Resource Center (IRC) to speak with
a trained information specialist. IRC staff are
available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. ET, toll free at (800) 955-4572. Contact
us online or click the "Live
Patient Help" button on the www.LLS.org
homepage.
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Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck
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