Lab Tests for Leukemia and Lymphoma Foster Improved Survival Rates

• The impact is apparent in the most common form of leukemia, called chronic myologenous leukemia (CLL), in which the number of white blood cells increases rapidly. Genomics-based lab tests detect the presence of a unique protein that fosters the rapid duplication of white cells. With this information, physicians can select a recently-developed drug that binds to that specific protein and inhibits its ability to reproduce. The response of patients to this approach is much better than with standard chemotherapy which — prior to the precision of DNA-based lab tests — was one of the primary treatments. Today, more than 90 percent of patients who receive targeted therapy-aimed at the unique proteins identified by lab tests — respond favorably and many experience complete remission.¹

• Similar improvement is occurring in treatment for the most common cancer among children and young people, called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Genomics-based lab tests determine the chromosomal structure of the individual child's form of the disease, which enables physicians to again select the optimal type of drug and dosage for each child.
  • In 1962, about 4 percent of children who suffered from the disease were cured. Today, with new lab tests and drug treatments, the cure rate has jumped to more than 80 percent, and the 5-year survival rate is close to 90 percent.²

¹ The Case for Personalized Medicine, published by the Personalized Medicine Coalition, Washington, DC, November, 2006. Also see, Druker, BJ, et.al., "Efficacy and Safety of a Specific Inhibitor of the BCR-ABL Tyrosine Kinase in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia," The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 344, Number 14, 1031-1037, April 5, 2001; and Pui, CH, et.al., "Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia," The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 354, Number 2, 166-178, January 12, 2006.

² Ibid, The Case for Personalized Medicine, p. 4.