When to Begin Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Indolent Lymphoma Telephone Education Program

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Article Date: 08 Aug 2004 - 12:00 PDT

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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (USA) to Offer Free, Interactive Telephone Education Program Featuring Lymphoma Expert John D. Hainsworth, M.D.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the leading source of information and support for patients battling leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, is offering a free telephone workshop entitled Timing is Everything: When to Start Therapy for Indolent Lymphoma. The program is the fourth in a five-part education series, Insights into Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The program is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004, 12 noon - 1 p.m. ET. The program will feature lymphoma expert John D. Hainsworth, M.D., director of clinical research at The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. Dr. Hainsworth will discuss treatment options and timing of therapy for patients with indolent lymphoma; the role of clinical trials in providing treatment alternatives for patients; symptom management; and quality of life issues. A question-and-answer period will follow.

Indolent lymphoma is a slow progressing form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The most common type of indolent lymphoma is follicular B-cell lymphoma, which accounts for about 22 percent of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

"For patients and caregivers to make an informed decision about when to start therapy, they need a clear understanding of the goal of treatment and the risks and benefits to the patient," explains Robin Kornhaber, M.S.W., the Society's senior vice president of patient services. "Our teleconference will address the types of therapy appropriate for slowly progressing lymphoma and factors to consider when making treatment choices."

The Insights into Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma series is sponsored by Genentech BioOncology and Biogen Idec Inc., and will be archived on the Society's Web site at http://www.lls.org/lymphomaeducation . Nurses who participate in the program will earn 1.0 Continuing Education contact hours.

Registration

To register, call toll free (800) 899-2923 and choose option 3; email NHL@cancereducation.com; or visit CancerEducation.com and click on "Programs." Registrants will receive an information packet and toll-free dial-in number within 48 hours of signing up.

About Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system. Lymphoma results when a lymphocyte (a type of white blood cell) undergoes a malignant change and begins to multiply, eventually crowding out healthy cells and creating tumors which enlarge the lymph nodes or other sites in the body. Fifty-seven percent of blood cancers are lymphomas. Rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma increases with age. It is estimated that approximately 54,370 Americans will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2004, and it is estimated that 346,749 people in the United States are currently living with the disease.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, headquartered in White Plains, NY, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more than $360 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made more than 441,000 patient contacts through services provided at its Home Office and by its 63 chapters nationwide.

For more information about blood cancer, visit http://www.LLS.org or call the Society's Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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