A WAY FORWARD ON CANCER CARE

• Published in: St. Petersburg times (Saint Petersburg, Fla. : 1921)
• Main Authors: Mack, Connie, SUMFEST, JILL M
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Petersburg, Fla Times Publishing Company 14.09.2009

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, cancer clinical trials are a critical part of the process of finding better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Forty years ago, a blood cancer diagnosis was a near death sentence for a child. Today, due in part to nearly 60 percent of pediatric cancer patients participating in clinical trials, the survival rate is more than 95 percent for children with Hodgkin lymphoma and more than 90 percent for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of leukemia among children. It is rare that Florida's lawmakers are called upon to support an issue that requires no legislative action. As Congress struggles in Washington to address the issue of health care, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Humana Inc. urge our leaders in the Florida Legislature - Senate President [Jeff Atwater] and House Speaker [Larry Cretul] - to support a health care issue that will prove to be a tremendous benefit to cancer patients, health care providers and insurers alike. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, cancer clinical trials are a critical part of the process of finding better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Forty years ago, a blood cancer diagnosis was a near death sentence for a child. Today, due in part to nearly 60 percent of pediatric cancer patients participating in clinical trials, the survival rate is more than 95 percent for children with Hodgkin lymphoma and more than 90 percent for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of leukemia among children.