Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation is committed to curing blood cancer. The mission is important in its own right. Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer (lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma) and someone dies from the disease every 10 minutes. Nearly 138,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012, accounting for approximately 9 percent of new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States. Blood cancer is the most common form of cancer in children, with leukemia causing more deaths in children and young adults under the age of twenty than any other cancer. Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma cause more than 54,000 deaths per year in the United States. It is estimated that more than 957,000 Americans are living with blood cancer. Yet, blood cancers remain remarkably under publicized and far too little is spent on research. In general, there are more than 60 types of lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin), 4 types of leukemia, and approximately 90 percent of myeloma patients are impacted at multiple sites by the time of diagnosis. When you consider the families and friends of blood cancer patients who also are impacted by the disease, the impact of blood cancer is staggering.
Blood cancer research is the superhighway to understanding and curing other forms of cancer and autoimmune disease. Historical evidence establishes that blood cancer research has produced tremendous results that extend well beyond blood cancer. Many cancer treatments have been developed through lymphoma research. Stem cell transplantation, combination chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and other therapies used on blood cancers have proven to be successful with other forms of cancer. Tomoxifin, which did not prove to be effective for lymphoma, has been an effective form of treatment for some breast cancers. During clinical trials of Rituxin (a monoclonal therapy) on blood cancer patients, it was discovered that it was efficacious for rheumatoid arthritis. The FDA has since approved it for use in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Additionally, the blood and lymph systems play a central role in cancer development and eradication. Solid tumors -- such as prostrate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer often are readily treatable when localized. But these tumors can spread or metastasize. Through what mechanism does cancer spread to other parts of the body -- The answer, of course, is through the blood and lymph systems. The immune system plays a major role in understanding cancer, preventing cancer, treating cancer, and curing cancer. There are many important reasons to invest in cogent blood cancer research projects.
