lymphoma survival rate | Improve survival rates for patients with myeloma and Lymphoma

Improve survival rates for patients with myeloma and Lymphoma



More than 9 million people in Europe living with cancer, and every family is touched in some way by this devastating disease. European researchers have concentrated all of their efforts on the fight against this disease and improving the quality...
Improve survival rates for patients with myeloma and Lymphoma
More than 9 million people in Europe living with cancer, and every family is touched in some way by this devastating disease. European researchers have concentrated all their efforts on fighting this disease and improving the quality of life of those affected. Today, researchers at the University of York in the United Kingdom have launched a major study on lymphoma and myeloma to promote early diagnosis and improve the survival of patients with these cancers, the most common to the United Kingdom. The project, funded by the British organization, Cancer Research UK, national awareness and diagnosis early (NAEDI, National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative) initiative, will develop an evidence base that can be used to reduce the time between the symptoms and the diagnosis in patients with these types of cancers.

The team is led by Dr. Debra Howell of the unit of epidemiology and genetics of the Department of sciences of the health of the University of York. This study began when the data presented showed that the survival for many cancers was lower in the United Kingdom than in all of Europe.

"British guide on improving the rate for cancer (UK Improving Outcomes Guidance for cancer) considers that the most important reason probably lies in a late diagnosis; earlier diagnosis could increase the chances of successful treatment, but also save thousands of lives,"said Dr. Howell. "Every year, there are approximately 15 000 new diagnoses myeloma and Lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) in the United Kingdom, and early diagnosis is complicated by the complex nature of these diseases. Lymphoma and myeloma symptoms can be very similar to those of most common benign conditions, and this poses demanding challenges for patients and practitioners when they identify symptoms that might indicate a malignancy. This situation often leads to a quest for help late and prevented hospitalization in time."

Despite the British guide of the hospitalization data from the national cancer data registry (UK Referral Guidance, data from the National Cancer Data Repository) (2007) reported that patients with hematologic malignancies, which the lymphoma and myeloma, were generally more commonly diagnosed after will be present to the emergency room and hospitalized less often after waiting two weeks, as suggested by the Government, compared to people with other types of cancers. According to patients, "the doctors were worried about these swollen glands in my throat that I had a few months. I never thought it could be a cancer because they don't me wrong,"and"I just thought it was a swollen lymph node. "It could be an infection of the throat."

Of after the attitudes of patients, the new study, which covers about 1000 patients for which with lymphoma or myeloma was diagnosed during the year 2012, will interview patients to explore their symptoms before diagnosis. They will also look at how patients reacted to these symptoms and where they asked the first aid in the first place, as well as on reports of hospital to examine events between patients looking for help and a diagnosis, such as appointments with family doctors and hospitalizations. 

The results will inform the British clinical guide and could also be used to develop tools such as programs of decisions by computer to help practitioners to identify patients with these cancers. This could help to promote the appropriate investigation and hospitalisation, reduce the time diagnosis and improve survival rates, according to the researchers. Educational resources will also be generated to encourage people with possible symptoms to seek help more early. 

The study is based on the network infrastructure hematologic malignancies (HMRN, Haematological Malignancy Research Network) research, established in 2004. HMRN is a specialist register based on population, financed by the British organization Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (LLR), which includes all patients for whom a haematological malignancy was diagnosed recently in Yorkshire and Humber and Yorkshire coast cancer network areas.