Leukemia Awareness

Study Uncovers Improved Leukemia Treatment
(Recent Korea Times Article)

A local medical research team has discovered a more effective method for treating patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital said.

Survival rates doubled after a reduced intensity conditioning drug regime was followed prior to bone marrow transplantation from siblings, said professor Lee Seok, who led the team of researchers. Younger patients in the trial showed a greater chance of remission than older ones with a rate of around 80 percent. Leukemia patients often suffer from reactions to the severity of the treatment for the disease, as approximately four to six times more drug injections are required with aggressive radiotherapy. The death toll rises dramatically among those over 50 years old or having complications due to other associated disorders.

The researchers found that by reducing the number of injections and using the anti-leukemia drug Gleevec before haemopoietic stem cell transplantation, damage to was reduced and survival rates increased. In the study of 37 patients from 2000 to 2007, 64 percent lived more than five years and only 19 percent relapsed after undergoing this treatment method. Lee said the figure is nearly a double the international average of 30 to 40 percent. The findings were published in the May edition of Leukemia magazine.