Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Amgen Inc., the world's largest biotechnology company, agreed to buy Micromet Inc. in a $1.16 billion deal to gain an experimental leukemia drug. Investors of Micromet, based in Rockville, Maryland, will get $11 a share, the companies said in a statement today. The acquisition will give Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen the compound blinatumomab, being tested against two blood cancers, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. While Amgen spends $2.7 billion a year on research and development, the company has "a fairly empty pipeline" and needs to acquire to gain promising new products, said Geoffrey Porges, an analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein in New York.

Re "In tune with their needs," Column One, May 30 On a spring morning in 1973, my 7-year-old son Robbie and I entered the lobby of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center's children's cancer center. A young nurse came to meet us; her name was Barbara Britt. That afternoon, I was informed that Robbie had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and needed to be hospitalized immediately. Thus began five years of Robbie's living with cancer - and the constant presence and support of the wonderful Barbara Britt.

Researchers reported Wednesday the discovery of a method of spotting leukemia cells that could help detect relapses earlier in children who suffer from one of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The researchers, who reported their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, said the new test also showed that some children believed to be successfully treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia still retained some leukemia cells in their bone marrow.

Amgen Inc., the world's largest biotechnology company, agreed to buy Micromet Inc. in a $1.16 billion deal to gain an experimental leukemia drug. Investors of Micromet, based in Rockville, Maryland, will get $11 a share, the companies said in a statement today. The acquisition will give Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen the compound blinatumomab, being tested against two blood cancers, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. While Amgen spends $2.7 billion a year on research and development, the company has "a fairly empty pipeline" and needs to acquire to gain promising new products, said Geoffrey Porges, an analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein in New York.

A new treatment for the most common form of leukemia among young children appears to significantly increase the chances of survival, doctors said last week. The treatment produced successful results in 79% of 1,600 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia involved in a six-year nationwide study, researchers said. Conventional treatments have produced a success rate of 59%, said Dr. David Tubergen, medical director at Children's Hospital of Denver at a news conference.

On Tuesday, two biotech companies announced that it would soon be possible to sequence the human genome -- each individual's complete DNA blueprint -- in about a day for around $1,000. On Wednesday, researchers at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and Washington University in St. Louis reported scientific results that hint at how this type of inexpensive genetic testing might help patients.   In one study, researchers sequenced the genomes of cancer cells from 12 St. Jude patients with early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and discovered that genetically, the subtype had more in common with a different type of leukemia than with other acute lymphoblastic leukemias.

Julie L. Garber, 28, who preserved her embryos to produce future children after she learned she was dying of leukemia. Brought up in the Peralta Hills area of Orange County, Garber was educated at San Diego State University and went into real estate with her mother, Jean, in Garber Prop. Inc. She became the subject of various feature articles because of her valiant struggle with the rare blood cancer known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After she was blinded by radiation and chemotherapy treatments and was no longer able to walk, Garber studied at the Braille Institute and had regular workouts at a gym. Also active in Toastmasters, Garber gave inspirational speeches about overcoming handicaps.

Re "In tune with their needs," Column One, May 30 On a spring morning in 1973, my 7-year-old son Robbie and I entered the lobby of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center's children's cancer center. A young nurse came to meet us; her name was Barbara Britt. That afternoon, I was informed that Robbie had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and needed to be hospitalized immediately. Thus began five years of Robbie's living with cancer - and the constant presence and support of the wonderful Barbara Britt.

The disease that apparently led to the death of 12-year-old Julio Cano is the most common form of childhood cancer, sometimes leading to aggressive infections and causing death in a matter of months or even weeks, medical experts said Wednesday. Whether the boy's life might have been saved by a diagnosis of acute leukemia just a few days earlier remains uncertain.

After watching Hendryck Mejia suffer through six years of painful leukemia, his mother on Thursday said the family was somewhat relieved by the death of a son who brought joy to other people's lives while struggling to keep his own. "He's in a better place now," Nellie Mejia said. "It's a real comfort to see him with no more pain and no more leukemia. "He never gave up. That's one thing he never did. But after a while, you just can't take much more of it." Hendryck Mejia, 18, died Wednesday at UCI Medical Center in Orange after a battle with cancer.

On Tuesday, two biotech companies announced that it would soon be possible to sequence the human genome -- each individual's complete DNA blueprint -- in about a day for around $1,000. On Wednesday, researchers at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and Washington University in St. Louis reported scientific results that hint at how this type of inexpensive genetic testing might help patients.   In one study, researchers sequenced the genomes of cancer cells from 12 St. Jude patients with early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and discovered that genetically, the subtype had more in common with a different type of leukemia than with other acute lymphoblastic leukemias.

Julie L. Garber, 28, who preserved her embryos to produce future children after she learned she was dying of leukemia. Brought up in the Peralta Hills area of Orange County, Garber was educated at San Diego State University and went into real estate with her mother, Jean, in Garber Prop. Inc. She became the subject of various feature articles because of her valiant struggle with the rare blood cancer known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After she was blinded by radiation and chemotherapy treatments and was no longer able to walk, Garber studied at the Braille Institute and had regular workouts at a gym. Also active in Toastmasters, Garber gave inspirational speeches about overcoming handicaps.

The disease that apparently led to the death of 12-year-old Julio Cano is the most common form of childhood cancer, sometimes leading to aggressive infections and causing death in a matter of months or even weeks, medical experts said Wednesday. Whether the boy's life might have been saved by a diagnosis of acute leukemia just a few days earlier remains uncertain.

A new treatment for the most common form of leukemia among young children appears to significantly increase the chances of survival, doctors said last week. The treatment produced successful results in 79% of 1,600 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia involved in a six-year nationwide study, researchers said. Conventional treatments have produced a success rate of 59%, said Dr. David Tubergen, medical director at Children's Hospital of Denver at a news conference.

After watching Hendryck Mejia suffer through six years of painful leukemia, his mother on Thursday said the family was somewhat relieved by the death of a son who brought joy to other people's lives while struggling to keep his own. "He's in a better place now," Nellie Mejia said. "It's a real comfort to see him with no more pain and no more leukemia. "He never gave up. That's one thing he never did. But after a while, you just can't take much more of it." Hendryck Mejia, 18, died Wednesday at UCI Medical Center in Orange after a battle with cancer.

Researchers reported Wednesday the discovery of a method of spotting leukemia cells that could help detect relapses earlier in children who suffer from one of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The researchers, who reported their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, said the new test also showed that some children believed to be successfully treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia still retained some leukemia cells in their bone marrow.

Scientists have found a drug that wiped out human leukemia cells in mice and could become weapon against the most common cancer in children. The drug blocks a chemical signal that the acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells need to survive. The idea behind the drug may also apply to finding new treatments for other types of cancer, researcher Dr. Chaim Roifman said.

A two-year regimen of chemotherapy can save the lives of some young leukemia victims after they relapse following initial treatment, a new study said. Doctors tested the treatment on 39 youngsters with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, one of the most treatable forms of cancer. About 70% to 80% of all children with the disease achieve long-term, relapse-free survival. However, the outlook for survival dims when relapse occurs, the report said.