Leukaemia

Each year, leukaemia is diagnosed in about 29,000 adults and 2,000 children in the US.

Leukaemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as bone marrow, causing cancer cells to be produced and enter the blood stream. There are a number of forms of leukaemia with terminology typically based on the cell type that is cancerous and whether the progression of the disease is rapid (acute) or progressive (chronic). Examples include acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

AML results from genetic damage to the developmental cells in the bone marrow. The effects of this are uncontrollable growth and accumulation of dysfunctional blood cells as well as blockage of normal production of healthy blood cells causing a deficiency in the blood. AML is the most common form of leukaemia and affects almost 12,000 people in the US per year.

AML occurs both in adults and children, though predominantly a disease expressed in elderly with a prevalence rate in the US of 17.9 per 100,000 for 65 years old and over but with incidence increasing with age. The average age of diagnosis is 65 years and more than half of the cases are in individuals 60 years and older. It is estimated there are more than 60,000 new cases of AML worldwide each year. The incidence rate of AML in Australia in 2004 was 8.8 per 100,000 (males) and 5.2 per 100,000 (females).

Sadly, there are few therapeutic treatments available. The forms of treatment currently available include chemotherapy, blood marrow transplants and stem cell transplants, radiation therapy and the emerging immunotherapy. There are a number of organizations which provide good information about leukaemia including the following:

Bladder cancer

The bladder is a balloon-like organ that stores urine and is located behind the pelvic bone in the lower part of the abdomen. Bladder cancer is a disease involving a genetic mutation of cells lining the bladder wall which then lose the ability to regulate their growth and start dividing uncontrollably.

Worldwide there are 335,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed each year, according to the World Health Organization. The US accounts for approximately 60,000 of these. Bladder cancer is a disease influenced by environmental factors. Smokers and individuals exposed to certain industrial chemicals are more at risk of developing the disease.

The majority of bladder cancer on initial diagnosis presents as superficial bladder cancer. It is treated using transurethral resection techniques. However, there is a very high rate of recurrence post surgery (around 50% after 12 months) making the disease very difficult and expensive to treat.

Bladder cancer is a chronic disease and sufferers must be followed and monitored for life. The combination of long survival times, high levels of disease recurrence and intensive and costly surveillance requirements means that bladder cancer is the most costly cancer to treat on a per patient basis. Bladder cancer is the fifth most costly cancer in terms of total medical care expenditures, accounting for US$3.7 billion p.a. in direct costs in the US.