people diagnosed with some blood cancers are living longer and often manage their illness for years
montreal’s raymond vles joined patient advocacy group cll canada in the midst of receiving treatment to help others understand and live with the disease
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when raymond vles was diagnosed in 2010 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (cll) after a routine blood test, he was, of course, shocked and upset.
cll, one of the most common types of leukemia in adults, starts in blood stem cells and usually develops slowly. because vles, who was 54 at the time, was asymptomatic, his doctor told him it could be years before he required treatment.
“learning that i had to live with an incurable cancer that did not require immediate treatment was difficult to accept,” says vles.
eight years after his diagnosis, when vles developed visible lymph nodes on his neck, it was clear the disease had progressed. so, in 2018, he underwent treatment.
cll never goes away, but patients can survive without disease progression for several years. risk factors can include a family history of the disease, or exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as pesticides. more than 2,200 canadians are diagnosed with cll each year, most of whom are men and those over the age of 60.
the challenge for vles, and others living with the disease, is staying free of infection. “because cll is a cancer of the immune system,” he says, “as we live longer, it’s the infections that become the major threat to our survival. covid-19 was and remains a concern for this reason.”
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according to a report from the canadian cancer society, progress in five-year survival rates for the most common blood cancers outpaced all other cancers: leukemia increased from 43 per cent to 59 per cent; non-hodgkin lymphoma from 49 per cent to 68 per cent; and multiple myeloma from 27 per cent to 44 per cent.
according to dr. carolyn owen, a hematologist at calgary’s cumming school of medicine, this is partially attributable to our understanding of blood cancers and how to treat them.
“we have genetic tests that can tell us whether someone has mutations in relevant genes that can predict outcomes,” says dr. owen.
while vles has benefited from treatment, he nonetheless found it difficult at the time of his diagnosis to find accurate, reliable and up-to-date information. so, in the midst of treatment, he became a board member of the patient advocacy group cll canada, and now serves as its board chair.
“patients often find it challenging to source high-quality information about their disease — its treatment, how to deal with it and how to manage their immunocompromised condition,” he says. so, together with the group’s medical and scientific advisors, the board assembles and maintains the most current, useful, and easily understood information to offer to those living with blood cancers.
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“people sometimes panic when they’ve been given the diagnosis, and it’s not well explained to them,” says vles. “i want them to know that, generally speaking, cll is not an aggressive disease, it’s a chronic disease. our mission is to enhance the lives of canadians with cll through education, advocacy and access to reliable information.”
in fact, the site has a cll information and resource page which includes links to reliable, quality information to answer the questions that typically arise at each stage of the cll journey and support those living with this cancer and their caregivers.
vles says the group advocates on a variety of issues related to the availability of cll treatments and the protection of immunocompromised people. the group also organizes in-person events; cll canada will hold its sixth cll live conference for patients and caregivers in april 2025.
in the meantime, dr. owen says researchers continue to make progress on emerging therapies.
talk to your doctor and visit cll canada (cllcanada.org) for more information about cll and other blood cancers.
this story was created by healthing content works, healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of abbvie.
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