By Admin at 23 Oct 2015, 11:22 AM

In the US, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer every four minutes, and in 2015 nearly 202,000 cases are expected to be diagnosed.

Blood cancers, also known as hematologic cancers, affect the production and function of your blood cells. There are several different types, including:

• Leukemia, which originates in blood-forming tissue
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which develops from lymphatic system cells called lymphocytes
• Hodgkin lymphoma, which is characterized by the presence of an abnormal lymphocyte called the Reed-Sternberg cell or B lymphocyte
• Multiple myeloma, which originates in your blood’s plasma cells

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia in adults, and although survival rates vary from two to 20 years after diagnosis, it is considered incurable with conventional therapies.

While stem cell transplants may provide a cure, not all patients are eligible for the procedure, which is why a new experimental therapy, called CTL019, is raising hope for many. It involves the use of a patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, which are reprogrammed to kill cancer cells.

A new study involved 14 patients with CLL that was not responding to conventional therapies. They were given the CTL019 treatment in 2010 and followed up with years later. Out of the 14 patients, eight responded to the treatment with four experiencing complete remission. The other four patients had a partial response that lasted an average of seven months.

Side effects included flu-like symptoms in some patients along with lowered levels of antibodies needed to fight infections (this was treated with infusions of antibodies as a replacement).

Researchers are hopeful the therapy will provide a cure or prolong survival for increasing numbers of people with CLL. The immune cells were found to remain functional in patients’ bodies for years, which suggests they’d continue to ward off a relapse. Lead researcher Dr. David Porter, director of blood and marrow transplantation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told U.S. News & World Report:

"As a one-time therapy, patients may not need repeated rounds of toxic chemotherapy, or prolonged treatment over many years to fight their cancer.

It is still early in the development of this approach, but we are extremely optimistic about the potential. Cellular therapy is a 'living drug' -- the fact that the cells can proliferate to such high levels magnifies or amplifies any potential response.”

Sources:
Science Translational Medicine September 2, 2015
U.S. News & World Report September 2, 2015
Leukemia Research Foundation, Statistics
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Blood Cancers

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