Cancer Facts

Who We Are

     We are among the more than 800,000 persons in the United States living with Leukemia, Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomia, Myeloma and Myelodysplastics Syndromes. We share what are considered to be related cancers of the blood and marrow- they all arise from cells with a common origin and related functions, the Lymphohematopoietic Stem Cells. Our diseases usually result from an aquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single abnormal cell that begins to multiply continuously and interferes with the body's production of normal blood and immune cells. As a result, without treatment, we may develope severe anemia, be predisposed to bleed easily and/or have a decreased ability to fight infections.

     Every five minutes a person will join us as a cancer patient. We will total about 135,000 new cases per year, or more than 9% of people with newly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Our deaths are estimated at over 50,000 per year - however, our likelihood of dying from most types of cancer of blood and marrow has decreased significantly in the past 10 years. We remain hopeful about the improved management of our disease with risk adapted therapy approaches, new anti-cancer drugs and advances in radiation therapy and stem cell transplantation techniques.