leukaemia research

The Tyneside Leukaemia Research Association is a registered charity founded in 1961 initially with donations given for research into children’s leukaemia. Over the years it has evolved into a network of branches covering Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham, Teesside and Cumbria. The main aim is to support research into leukaemia and associated diseases for the benefit of all the people who live within the Northern Region of England.

what is leukaemia?

Leukaemia (American English: Leukemia)
is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation (production by multiplication) of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases. In turn, it is part of the even broader group of diseases called hematological neoplasms.

In 2000, approximately 256,000 children and adults around the world developed a form of leukemia, and 209,000 died from it. This represents about 3% of the almost seven million deaths due to cancer that year, and about 0.35% of all deaths from any cause. Of the sixteen separate sites the body compared, leukemia was the 12th most common class of neoplastic disease, and the 11th most common cause of cancer-related death.

Among children with some form of cancer, about a third have a type of leukemia, most commonly acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Only about 3% cancer diagnoses among adults are for leukemias, but because cancer is much more common among adults, more than 90% of all leukemias are diagnosed in adults.

To view a press release from Newcastle University regarding funding aims in 2009 please click here.