Welcome to Day 6 of the Blogging for Blood Cancer event! Today’s prize is a Princess purse and ribbon tutu from Pretty Posh Princess. Yesterday’s winner was commenter #9 Denise who knew there were 600 members of Friends of Heroes in 2007.

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

Why is pediatric research so important?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society first began in 1949. At that time, leukemia was considered a hopeless disease. Most patients, especially children died within three months of diagnosis. Even with the early advances in chemotherapy, in 1955 leukemia was considered 100% fatal.
The Society realized even at its very start that research was the key to finding a cure. Here are just a few of the many cancer pioneers they have funded over the past 50 years:
  • Joseph Burchenal, M.D., established the chemotherapy program at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, now the standard model around the world
  • William Dameshek, M.D., considered one of the world’s leading hematologists, was among the first to identify an effective chemo agent.
  • Brian Druker, M.D., was a leader in the development of Gleevec®, a revolutionary non-toxic pill that treats chronic myelogenous leukemia and other cancers.
  • Emil Frei III, M.D., pioneered curative treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, resulting in prolonged survival.
  • Robert Peter Gale, M.D., noted leukemia researcher and bone marrow transplant expert who helped clone the gene that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia and developed drug treatments for acute myelogenous leukemia and other leukemias.
  • George Hitchings, Ph.D., helped develop 6-mercaptopurine and thioguanine, two of the first and most widely used leukemia drugs.
  • George Santos, M.D., was a pioneering bone marrow transplant expert.
  • E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., first scientist to successfully perform a bone marrow transplant between two humans.
  • C. Gordon Zubrod, M.D., is considered the “father of the clinical trials concept in oncology.” (Our History. 2006. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Retrieved from http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=221384)

In 1960-63, when compared to a person without leukemia, a patient had a 14 percent chance of living five years. By 1975-77, the five-year relative survival rate had jumped to 35 percent. By 2002, the survival rates have increased dramatically large impart due to the wonderful research conducted by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and other organizations like them.

  • Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): 65.2 percent overall; 90.5 percent for children under 5;
  • Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): 20.4 percent overall; 53.1 percent for children under 15
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: 81.9% for children under 19
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma: 95.1% for children under 20.
  • (Leukemia Facts & Statistics. 2006. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Retrieved from http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=9346)

Even though these survival rates have significantly improved, until there is early detection, a method of prevention, and a cure for blood cancers, research is still desperately needed. Anything less than 100% survival rate just is not good enough, especially when you are talking about someone’s child.

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For a chance to win, leave a comment with the name of the first scientist to successfully perform a bone marrow transplant between two humans by MIDNIGHT PST today.

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