Leukemia

After his father’s diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 10-year-old Rhett is determined to become an oncologist to help other patients with cancer.

CLL is difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms only manifest in the later stages of the disease. As in all types of care, a late diagnosis often means worse prognosis.

Joyce Beecher vividly recounts her cancer journey as a caregiver to her husband, Rich Beecher, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2003. Listen to Joyce’s story as she describes their determination to find the best care and treatment for Rich, and encourages patients and caregivers to never give up.

Diagnosed in 2003, Rich Beecher has been living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) for 15 years. Rich describes his cancer journey – from “Why me?” to focusing on the positive things in his life, including immersing himself more in photography.

New therapies that are now available for people with this type of cancer have fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy and can improve survival and quality of life.

This is the first time the FDA has used minimal residual disease (MRD) as a biomarker to approve a specific treatment for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

In recent years, new treatments for acute myeloid leukemia have improved outcomes. In 2017, 2 new drugs were approved for patients with this type of blood cancer linked to a specific biomarker.

This is the first treatment that targets patients with AML and the FLT3-ITD mutation. In this clinical trial, patients who received quizartinib lived longer without disease progression than those receiving chemotherapy.