Janelle C.

Belleza BSN103

TREATMENT FOR LEUKEMIA

The treatment of leukemia is focused towards achieving a complete remission with minimal
side-effects. Complete remission refers to absence of leukemia traces at cellular level. Patients
who present no evidence of malignant cellular activity after completing the treatment of
leukemia are considered to be completely cured. By contrast, relapse indicates a recurrence of
leukemia specific symptoms and physiological signs.

In the case of patients with acute leukemia, a remission that lasts for more than five years after
the treatment suggests a complete recovery. This five-year period is considered to be critical for
leukemia sufferers, as it can make the difference between relapse and complete recovery.

In the last few decades, the five-year survival period of patients with leukemia has tripled. While
in the 60’s the five-year survival rate was around 15 percent, nowadays it revolves around 50
percent. This five-year survival period is strongly influenced by patients’ age and the type of
leukemia. Statistics indicate that the five-year survival rate for patients with acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL) is around 60 percent, while the five-year survival rate for patients with chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is higher, reaching the value of 70 percent. By contrast, the
prognosis of patients with myelogenous leukemia is less favorable. The same five-year survival
rate for patients diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is around 14 percent, while
an estimated 32 percent of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) exceed this five-
year survival period.

The five-year survival rate for children diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia revolves
around the value of 80 percent, while the overall survival rate of children with acute lymphocytic
leukemia is less than 45 percent. This type of leukemia is the most common form of cancer
diagnosed in children. Due to the fact that it predominantly affects young patients with ages
between 3 and 15, the disease is referred to as childhood leukemia.

In the United States, the mortality rate for children with leukemia has decreased with 60 percent
in the last three decades. In spite of this fact, leukemia is still the leading cause of death among
young patients with ages under 15.

Insights: Although medical science has evolved significantly in the last decades, the treatment
of leukemia is still a major issue in present. Modern medicine doesn’t hold the cure for leukemia
and medical treatments available these days provide differentiated results. Survival rates
depend on the promptitude of diagnosis, the type of treatment and the patients’ responsiveness
to specific cancer therapies and treatments. Although leukemia can’t always be completely
overcome, the progression of the disease can be slowed down and its malignant effects can be
contained with the help of existent cancer treatments. Thus, the life expectancy of patients with
leukemia has risen considerably in the last three decades. By contrast, the mortality rate
registered among patients with leukemia has known a pronounced decrease in the last decade

Life Expectancy for Lung Cancer Patients Extended By Combined Treatment

Combining thermal ablation with radiation therapy extends average life expectancy and
decreases recurrences of tumors in patients who have early stages of inoperable lung cancer,
according to researchers at Rhode Island Hospital.

In a retrospective study looking at patients over seven years, the median survival rate at three
years increased from 20 months after radiation alone to 42 months when thermal ablation was
followed by radiation for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. The results are published in
the July issue of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

"This study shows us that even patients who are not eligible for surgery can still get very good
results," says senior author Damian Dupuy, MD, director of ultrasound at Rhode Island Hospital
and professor of diagnostic imaging at Brown Medical School, both in Providence, RI. "By
combining thermal ablation and radiation, you have a better chance of survival than with either
treatment alone." With radiation alone, overall survival rates were as follows: one year - 57
percent; two years - 36 percent; three years - 21 percent. With thermal ablation and radiation,
they were significantly higher: one year - 87 percent; two years - 70 percent; three years - 57
percent

Insights: Surgery is the standard treatment for lung cancer. However, only one-third of patients
with early stage lung cancer qualify for surgery because of other underlying medical conditions.
Radiation therapy has long been used for inoperable lung cancer, and more recently, doctors
have used radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation, processes that heat tumors
to destroy them. For patients who cannot have surgery or radiation, the median survival is about
one year.

BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer is happening. Nobody knows for sure why. This type of cancer is the most
common cause of cancer in women all over the world. Each year, in America alone, more than
211,000 women are diagnosed to have breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute
(NCI). Scientists and other qualified medical experts are going hand in hand in studying breast
cancer its causes, and looking for better ways to prevent and treat it.

Research has shown several information on the causes of this type of cancer. It is now
understood and believed that genetics and hormonal factors are the key risk factors of breast
cancer. And because of the prevalence and incidence of breast cancer, women’s awareness is
heightened like never before.

Women are now undergoing mammography for screening in the hope of early detection for
survival. In spite of the heightened awareness and screening still breast cancer is the most
common cause of death in women between the ages of 45 and 55. Today it has been said that
the age of casualty has lowered to 30 years of age. But breast cancer can also happen in men.
It also has caused death among men but not as many as in women.

Insights: A woman with a history of breast cancer in the family is most likely to develop the
disease. In this case there are two recognized levels of risk. One is because of a genetically
inherited predisposition to breast cancer and the other is due to the increased in familial
incidence. In addition it has been said the lifestyle is also a contributory factor to the chance of
developing breast cancer. It has been thought of to have a distinguishing influence on the
danger of breast cancer. Exposure to environmental health factors can also increase the danger
of breast cancer such as the prolonged exposure to radiation. There is a possibility that the
interaction among the risk factors can happen. If this happens, this will lead to a considerable
difficulty is the evaluation of the overall risk. But it has not been known yet how the individual
risk factors within a combination will interact.