Hope in action

EPCALM Foundation celebrates 20 years of leukemia support with inaugural Hope Gala

- PHILIP CU UNJIENG

Among blood-related disorders in adults, leukemia ranks among the cancers most associated with cancer-related deaths in our country.

Breast cancer and lung cancer typically vie for the top spot, with liver, colorectal, and cervical cancers following in terms of both incidence and mortality. But leukemia is right up there, too. In 2020, it was the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths and the ninth most common cancer type. A cancer of the white blood cells, it develops in the bone marrow and then spreads into the blood and other organs.

In 2022, leukemia cases rose to 7,026, with 5,416 deaths reported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Leukemia types are classified either by how quickly they develop—acute vs. chronic—or by the type of blood cell involved—lymphocytic or myeloid. September has been designated Blood Diseases Month by our government, and the Department of Health observes World Leukemia Awareness Month—symbolized by the color orange, the color of hope.