Health Experts Expect More Promising Treatment for Leukemia

(PNA) — A group of local and international health experts are expecting more promising treatment options in the near future for leukemia.

In a health forum spearheaded by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) at Annabel’s Restaurant on Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City recently, the medical experts discussed about recent and new developments in the field of leukemia therapy.

According to PCP president Dr. Mariano Lopez, the discussion was held in time with the celebration of the World Leukemia Awareness Month every September, designed to create awareness about leukemia and inspire people that there is still hope for patients suffering from it.

Among the guests speakers were Dr. Erlyn Cabanag-Demerre, a cardiologist, and Dr. Kaye Rosales, a hematologist from St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City in Taguig.

They were joined by Dr. Ronald Gress from the Oncology and Internal Medicine of the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States, who expressed his great passion in the continuing search for better health outcomes in treating leukemia.

In his opening speech, Dr. Lopez said the forum aimed to inspire more fruitful discussions on the treatment available for leukemia to bring in the message that there is always hope to see more possible treatment options for it in the future.

Dr. Lopez said that leukemia is a non-communicable disease which is one of the top five causes of mortality in the country.

In the discussion, Dr. Gress shared some significant insights into the potential curative options for patients suffering from leukemia that they are developing in the U.S. which, he said, can boost the current treatment for leukemia which is done through chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant in the country.

He said that their study is currently under the third phase of clinical trial in the U.S. to bring cure and salvation to patients with leukemia through the “T-cell” — a type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body’s immune response to specific pathogens. The T-cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Dr. Gress implied that once the clinical trials become successful and get approval from the U.S. Food Drug and Administration (FDA), they will be introducing it in the Philippines to enable the Filipino patients to experience also the kind of boost treatment for leukemia which they are aiming to achieve.

He explained that what they are developing is to enable the T-cells to attack directly the leukemia-causing cells while providing protection to the good cells to avoid leukemia from relapsing.

According to Dr. Erlyn Cabanag-Demerre, once the said treatment becomes available in the future, maybe five years from now, the challenge will be to learn how to best combine new and old ways of treatment to cure leukemia in most or all patients.

Dr. Demerre is actively involved in the EPCALM Adult Leukemia Foundation of the Philippines that she founded and chaired as one of the Board of Directors.

EPCALM, which stands for Erwin Piedad Cabanag Adult Leukemia Ministries, is a God-centered, non-stock and non-profit organization that supports leukemia patients and their families by conducting medical missions and activities to help families with leukemia victims.

EPCALM was established in memory of Dr. Demerre’s brother, lawyer Erwin Cabanag, a city fiscal of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental who passed away due to leukemia on May 12, 2005.

Dr. Demerre said that while there are at present some treatment options in leukemia (chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants) which are available in top medical centers in the country (St. Luke’s, Asian Hospital and Makati Medical Center), such is very expensive and still not absolutely can prevent case relapse.

She noted that since such treatment is very expensive and can be done only in the said big institutions right now in the country, finding other options that can boost the treatment and providing faster and promising cure for leukemia with less expenses will be a way to create continuous hope that leukemia can be treated and survival chances are greater.

She said that due to complexity of treating leukemia, which involves chemotherapy and transplantation, there is a tendency that such methods can wipe out the good cells on the patient, tending to induce infection which can lead to death.

“So, it is really important that the patient undergoing chemo/transplantation should really be in a special room,” she added.

Leukemia is a cancer that usually begins in the bone marrow and results in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells. These white blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells.

Symptoms may include bleeding and bruising problems, feeling tired, fever, and an increased risk of infections.

These symptoms occur due to a lack of normal blood cells.

Diagnosis is usually made by blood tests or bone marrow biopsy. (PNA) SCS/LSJ