Updates from ASCO and ESMO 2021 Add to Successes in Hodgkin Lymphoma Research and Treatment

Updates from ASCO and ESMO 2021 Add to Successes in Hodgkin Lymphoma Research and Treatment By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH In 1832 Sir Thomas Hodgkin described a morbid condition of the glands and spleen which in 1865 was named Hodgkin disease by Samuel Wilkes. It was a fatal disease. Yet it has become, as this Inspire patient describes, highly treatable.1 my first oncologist, trying to reassure me and make me feel better, told me that if someone said to him it was DEFINITE that he had to get cancer, but he could choose what kind, he would, [...]

Impressive Advances in Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Impressive Advances in Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent form of adult leukemia, with about 20,000 new diagnoses per year in the United States alone.1  While it can occur at earlier ages, it is primarily a disease of older adults, with 70 years as the average age at diagnosis. Most of those who are diagnosed have no symptoms.2 CLL is often discovered when patients have a regular CBC test, and the findings indicate that the white blood cell (WBC) count is elevated. Under a microscope, the [...]

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month By Kathleen Hoffman, PhD, MSPH The term “blood cancer” encompasses so many complex disorders that Inspire has several support communities focused on blood cancers, including groups for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). According to Inspire’s partner, the Leukemia Research Foundation, these four blood cancers impact about 1.3 million people in the United States and their families.1 This year there are expected to be 60,300 people newly diagnosed with leukemia; 83,200 with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma; and 31,000 with myeloma.2 Myleodysplastic syndromes are rarer, with an estimated 10,000 cases total [...]