Question 1

could you give me the median survival for the elderly , over 65 , with acute lymphoblastic leukemia ?also, what was it 30 yrs.ago? i lost a loved one in 1982, wondering if life expectancy improving in this age group?i'm not sure what the life expectancy w

Accepted Answer

Modern : Modern therapy is expected to get 60 - 80% of adults with all into remission.  Unfortunately, with standard chemotherapy alone only 30-40% of adult all patients live more than 2 years.  This likely compares to a 20-30% long-term survival rate in the early 1980s.  Much more significant improvements have been made in the treatment of children with all with long-term survival in over 80% of kids with the disease.  We now know much more about the genetic abnormalities in the cancer cells than we did in the 1980's and can better predict a patient's prognosis and tailor treatment for them.  In particular, outcomes are now much better for mature b-cell all and there are targeted agents available for treating philadelphia chromosome-positive disease as well. Age continues to be a poor prognostic factor with people over 50 not fairing as well as younger adult patients.

Question 2

sudden disorientation (when before they were never disoriented) along with high white cell count in elderly but otherwise healthy and very mobile man. what could it be apart from leukemia?

Accepted Answer

Needs eval: Disorientation and elevated white count in elderly worry me about an infection of some sort. Most like urinary tract, but respiratory, skin and other sites should be evaluated. Thanks for trusting HealthTap!

Question 3

dear doctor, 
could you give me the median survival in early 80, s for elderly acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ?i i am having difficulty finding these statistics.are we making any progress in the elderly with this type of leukemia?thanks in advance.

Accepted Answer

ALL: Unfortunately the survival for elderly patients with all is limited due to the intensity of the therapy needed.  Patients with philadelphia chromosome positive disease may respond well to tyrosine kinase inhibitors.  Without further details it is difficult to answer thus question but the survival average is generally less than 1 year for somebody in their 80's.

Question 4

about acute myeloid luekemia, can you survive if elderly?

Accepted Answer

Difficult: It really depends on age and type of aml. Some have better prognosis than others. It also depends on co-morbid status. Patients who evolve from mds also do very poorly.
The issue is does that patient have a good prognosis or bad prognosis aml. If they are a condidate for treament can they tolerate agressive treatment or not. 
Most will do poorly unfortunately, especially above 80.

Question 5

does a blood test always show if a person has leukemia?

Accepted Answer

Not always: Leukemia is a cancer of cells within the bone marrow.  This often spills into the blood, but not always.  If blood tests do not confirm a leukemia diagnosis and there is still a suspicion of leukemia, a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy will be performed.  This usually confirms the diagnosis.

Question 6

how long can a person live for after being diagnosed with lymph leukemia?

Accepted Answer

Clarify exact diagno: The word "Lymph" is confusing if you are speaking about Leukemia, of which there are 2 types. Acute Lymphoid leukemia(ALL) is probably whht you are asking about. But there is also a chronic Lymphatic Leukemia(CLL), which is commonly seen in older people(&gt; 50 years of age).
So ask your Doctor if the diagnosis is ALL or CLL?
Then we can give you some ideas about prognosis which is vastly different f

Question 7

why would a person with leukemia have an increased risk of infection?

Accepted Answer

Reduced immune fx: Although leukemia patients have an increased total number of white cells, many of those cells are non-functional in fighting infection. The number of germ-fighting white cells is usually dramatically reduced.

Question 8

can it be that a person at 28 years of age have chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

Accepted Answer

Yes: But it is quite rare before age 40.

Question 9

how long will a person live after being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

Accepted Answer

D/W yourHematologist: It depends on the biology /prgnostic factors of the cll. In majority cases, cll is an indolent disease/slowly progressing disease and patients will live for many years with the disease. However there are certain biology of cll that are behaving more agressively and requiring teatment usually earlier. Discuss in detail with your hematologist/oncologist.

Question 10

what is the life expectancy of a person with chronic lgl leukemia that is under control but not in remission?

Accepted Answer

Years: This is a rare entity with a good prognosis.  It responds to treatment, but is not completely eliminated.

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Doctor answers about:

Lifespan of elderly person with CChronic Leukemia

A member asked:

Could you give me the median survival for the elderly , over 65 , with acute lymphoblastic leukemia ?also, what was it 30 yrs.ago? i lost a loved one in 1982, wondering if life expectancy improving in this age group?i'm not sure what the life expectancy w

A member asked:

Sudden disorientation (when before they were never disoriented) along with high white cell count in elderly but otherwise healthy and very mobile man. what could it be apart from leukemia?

A member asked:

Dear doctor, could you give me the median survival in early 80, s for elderly acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ?i i am having difficulty finding these statistics.are we making any progress in the elderly with this type of leukemia?thanks in advance.

A member asked:

About acute myeloid luekemia, can you survive if elderly?

A member asked:

Does a blood test always show if a person has leukemia?

A member asked:

How long can a person live for after being diagnosed with lymph leukemia?

A member asked:

Why would a person with leukemia have an increased risk of infection?

A member asked:

Can it be that a person at 28 years of age have chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

A member asked:

How long will a person live after being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

A member asked:

What is the life expectancy of a person with chronic lgl leukemia that is under control but not in remission?

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