Facts and Statistics

The Cause
       Approximately every 4 minutes one person is diagnosed in the United States with a blood cancer.

    An estimated combined total of 137,260 people in the US will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2010.

    New cases of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma will account for 9.0 percent of the 1,529,560 new cancer cases diagnosed in the US this year.

Deaths

     Every 10 minutes, someone in the US dies from a blood cancer. This statistic represents nearly 148 people each day, or more than six people every hour.

     Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma will cause the deaths of an estimated 54,020 people in the US this year.

     These diseases will account for nearly 9.5 percent of the deaths from cancer in 2010, based on the total of 569,490 cancer deaths.

     In general, the likelihood of dying from most types of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma decreased from 1998 to 2007 (the most recent data available).

Research Successes 

     The mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

      When LLS was founded in 1949, a blood cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal. Thanks in part to innovative research funded by LLS, survival rates have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled for blood cancer patients.

Milestones
     LLS is a driving force behind breakthroughs in treating blood cancer patients. Below are just a few highlights that showcase the progress that's been made during LLS's six decades of relentlessly focused research support.

The 1950s
     The first chemotherapy drugs were developed for lymphoma and leukemia patients, including children. William Dameshek, M.D., Joseph Burchenal, M.D., George Hitchings, Ph.D. and Gertrude Elion, D.Sc. were leaders in this new field. Drs. Hitchings and Elion received Nobel prizes for their work, and helped guide LLS research funding in the early years.

The 1960s

     The first combination chemotherapy was developed for childhood leukemia patients. Emil Frei, M.D., James Holland, M.D. and Emil Freireich, M.D. led the effort and Dr. Freireich advised LLS research programs from our inception.

The 1970s
     The first successful bone marrow transplants were performed. E. Donnall Thomas, M.D. served as long-time advisor to LLS and received the 1990 Nobel Prize for his breakthrough work.

The 1980s
     Cancer-causing "oncogenes" were discovered. Geoffrey Cooper, Ph.D. and J. Michael Bishop, M.D. were among the leaders of this new field; both served as LLS advisors. 

The 1990s to present
     Molecular understandings of normal and malignant blood cells make new "targeted" anti-cancer drug therapies and immune-stimulating therapies possible, as well as supportive-care "growth factors" that can revitalize patients' blood systems after chemo- and radiation therapies.

     Understanding which genetic and molecular abnormalities cause particular blood cancers has more recently led to new targeted drugs that selectively kill cancer cells, generally sparing normal cells and causing fewer side-effects than previous standard therapies. LLS funded these advances at critical points. What's more, many of the blood cancer treatments we've funded have gone on to benefit patients who have other types of cancer.

If you would like to find out more information about LLS you can visit their website here.