(Business Wire India; 16th June, 2014); Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a devastating form of blood cancer that mainly affects people over 60 years old. For older patients who receive chemotherapy, the median survival is less than a year. Even though AML is considered rare, it accounts for around 18,860 new cases and 10,000 deaths in the US each year and is the most frequent cause of leukaemia-related deaths.
Only 1 in 3 (36%) of people have heard of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), reveals survey of 2,520 people from across Europe.
Awareness varied between the 5 countries surveyed: Italy demonstrated the highest awareness of AML (53%) and France the lowest (24%).
An overwhelming majority (67%)4 believed leukaemia to be a ‘treatable’ form of cancer. However in the case of AML, prognosis is considered poor and worsens with age1 and40% of AML patients are ineligible for the current standard of care (intensive chemotherapy) due to age and co-morbidities.
Erin Schwartz, VP of Strategic Partnerships and Global Advocacy at the MAX Foundation comments, “People often believe that treatment of blood cancers is very straight forward these days, but this is not the case. For Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) prognosis remains poor, particularly for older patients who cannot tolerate intensive chemotherapy and who have limited treatment options. It is important that we educate people about AML and raise awareness of the support services available to patients and families affected by the disease.”
