Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most aggressive blood cancers—but science is making real progress. In this episode, Dr. Eytan Stein of Memorial Sloan Kettering breaks down what makes AML so challenging to treat, how it’s classified, and the latest therapies changing the outlook for patients. From combination therapies and menin inhibitors to future research on CAR T-cell therapy and bispecifics, this is a hopeful, expert-led look at the future of AML treatment.

Mentioned on this episode: 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

Supported by Abbvie Inc.; Astellas Pharma US Inc.; Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group; and Kura Oncology, Inc.

The post Understanding AML: The Challenges, The Progress, The Hope first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

The fight to effectively treat and cure the complex disease of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) continues.

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Elie Traer, Dr. Karin Rodland and Dr. Lee Greenberger about an exciting new study for AML. The doctors share about a longtime collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using patient samples from LLS’s Beat AML Master Clinical Trial to further understand the proteins on the cancer cells, resulting in the development of more targeted treatments for AML patients.  

Mentioned on this episode: 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

Support for this episode provided by: Abbvie Inc. and Genentech, Inc. & Biogen.

The post Visions of Hope: Continuing to Beat AML first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

As a cancer patient or caregiver, telling your story can not only be a way to update loved ones about your condition or be a comfort to current patients, it can be healing for yourself. In this episode, we speak to Steve Buechler about his treatment for acute myeloid leukemia as well as his experience through survivorship.

Steve shares how writing helped him heal from the emotional effects of cancer. As an LLS volunteer, he now facilitates writing workshops for our LLS Community and wrote an article about how language matters when speaking to patients.

Join us to hear about Steve’s “odyssey” through AML, which he describes as not something he chose, but something that taught him more about life and himself.

Mentioned on this episode: 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

Support for this program is provided by: Bristol Myers Squibb.

The post Healing Through Writing: An Odyssey Through Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Veronika Panagiotou, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor and Alique Topalian, a two-time AML survivor. In this episode, Veronika and Alique discuss the long-term side effects they have been experiencing as a result of their chemotherapy treatments.

While their lives have been impacted by these treatments, they have been able to find joy and peace as they work to overcome these side effects. Don’t miss out on this important episode, as blood cancer patients learn to give themselves grace during challenging days in treatment and beyond.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Diffuse large b cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• LIVE! At CancerCon: A Journey Through Survivorship podcast episode
• Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• Cancer-related cognitive impairment
• The Gathering Place
• Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana (other cities available)
• Caring for Kids and Adolescents Workbook
• Survivorship Workbook

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

Support for this episode provided by: Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company and Janssen Biotech.

The post Give Yourself Grace: Overcoming Long-term Side Effects first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to John Falco, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 2019 and then later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in his brain in 2021. This incredibly rare second diagnosis changed the course of John’s treatment and thankfully led to him achieving a complete remission after a stem cell transplant.

As a young adult professional, John was at the heart of his career at the time of his diagnosis and felt the pressure to return to normal, which meant returning to work quickly. He shares advice with other young adult cancer patients to slow down and enjoy life, while also listening to your body and advocating for yourself.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs)
• Be The Match – Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• Let’s Talk About Stem Cell Transplantation: Benefits and Side Effects podcast episode
• Tips about Talking to Your Employer 
• Light The Night event

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

The post A Young Adult’s Journey Through Two Leukemia Diagnoses first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak with Charles Huang and Dr. Gabriel Mannis in honor of AML Awareness Day (April 21st). In this episode, Charles tells us about his treatment for AML, participation in clinical trials, and shares about his struggle to find a bone marrow donor as an Asian Pacific Islander. Charles then turned his struggle into legislation to make it easier to join a bone marrow donor registry to save lives. Dr. Mannis, of Stanford Medicine, shares about the latest advances in AML research, from clinical trials in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) therapy to medications that reduce graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). With research advancing quickly in the field of AML treatment, patients and caregivers are given reasons to have hope after the uncertainty of a diagnosis.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Minimal/Measurable Residual Disease
• CAR T-cell Therapy
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Graft-Vs-Host-Disease (GVHD)
• Charlie’s Law
• Be The Match – Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• LLS Advocacy & Public Policy
• Innovative Therapies in Acute Leukemias podcast episode

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Myeloma Link
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Young Adult Resources
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Astellas and Genentech, Inc & Biogen.

The post Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Hope in the Uncertainty of AML first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Dr. Hongtao Liu and Dr. Adam DuVall from University of Chicago Medicine, about current and emerging cellular therapies for acute leukemias. These innovative therapies include CAR T-cell therapy, modified Natural Killer (NK) cells and stem cell transplantations. In this episode, we discuss how these groundbreaking therapies have changed the landscape of treatment for acute leukemias. The doctors share what they are excited about in the future, citing how clinical trials are advancing therapies and how cancer centers can better serve the unique needs of adolescent and young adults (AYAs) with acute leukemias by utilizing a holistic and comprehensive approach.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• CAR T-cell Therapy
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Cellular Therapies
• Minimal/Measurable Residual Disease (MRD)
• Graft-Vs-Host Disease
• Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program at University of Chicago
• CALMM Clinic at University of Chicago
• Young Adult Resources
• Survivorship Workbook
• Between Two Kingdoms

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists 
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Free Nutrition Consultations

Support for this episode is provided by University of Chicago Medicine.

The post Innovative Therapies for Acute Leukemias first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of children with cancer.  In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of a child’s cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the child going back to school.

In the fourth episode of this series, Nancy Cincotta, LCSW, MPhil, CPA will talk with parent caregiver, Dave Garcia about the experience of caregiving for his young son, Andy, through the post-treatment stage of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Caregiver support 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Financial support 
• Online chats 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 

Support for this episode provided by the Carolan Research Institute.

The post Cancer & Caregiving: Navigating My Child’s Cancer – Survivorship first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of children with cancer.  In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of a child’s cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the child going back to school.

In the first episode of this series, Nancy Cincotta, LCSW, MPhil, CPA will talk with parent caregiver, Dave Garcia about the experience of caregiving for his young son, Andy, through the diagnosis stage of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Caregiver support 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Financial support 
• Online chats 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 

Support for this episode provided by the Carolan Research Institute.

The post Cancer & Caregiving: Navigating My Child’s Cancer – Diagnosis first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Alex Okafor, a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs. Alex lost his mother to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2020. In this episode, Alex talks about his mother’s short battle with AML and the difficulties his family faced receiving this diagnosis during a global pandemic. Following his mother’s death, Alex found a new determination to make his mother proud and continue her legacy in fighting against racial injustice and creating a better society for the black community.

*Since the taping of this podcast, Alex has launched the Alex Okafor Family Foundation, which is raising funds for the LLS Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors Program. In addition, in honor of Mother’s Day, Alex wrote a touching letter to his mother, titled A Letter to My Mother for The Players Tribune website.

Mentioned on this episode:

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Kansas City Star Article
• Kingdom United Reading Program
• Alex Okafor Family Foundation and Scholarship
• A Letter to My Mother

Additional LLS Support Resources:

• Information Specialists 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Financial support 
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program Free Nutrition Consultations

Support for this episode provided by Genentech, Inc. and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

The post Tragedy to Legacy: NFL Player Continues The Fight first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.