August 2016 is the official Leukemia Awareness month. Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells. It is a malignant progressive disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anemia and other symptoms.
CloudClinik is playing its part by providing a diverse EMR system that will help oncologists fight against cancer. Considering how common the disease is and how little we know about it, here are some hard facts for your knowledge.
- In 2016, 60,140 people are expected to be diagnosed with leukemia.
- The overall five-year relative survival rate for leukemia has more than quadrupled since 1960.
- From 1960 to 1963, the five-year relative survival rate among whites (only data available) with leukemia was 14 percent. From 1975 to 1977, the five-year relative survival rate for the total population with leukemia was 34.1 percent, and from 2005 to 2011, the overall relative survival rate was 61.7 percent.
- In 2008-2012, leukemia was the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in men and the sixth most common in women in the US.
- Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20; however, leukemia is diagnosed 10 times more often in adults than children.
- Approximately 1.5 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with leukemia at some point during their lifetime, based on 2010-2012 data
Leukemia Prevention and Treatment
There is no known way to prevent most types of leukemia. Some types of leukemia may be prevented by avoiding high doses of radiation, exposure to the chemical benzene, smoking and other tobacco use, or certain types of chemotherapy are used to treat various types of cancer.
A person with leukemia may need numerous tests and treatments. Leukemia survivors need a detailed, long-term plan for follow-up care that may involve multiple doctors at multiple locations. To ensure ongoing good health, health care providers must have access to complete medical history anytime. With an EMR system like CloudClinik oncologists keep track of their patients’ progress, their medical history, vitals, allergies, previous treatments and drugs prescribed. This ultimately can make a difference in patients’ health and speedy recovery.