Latest news with #leukaemia
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ukrainian girl, 7, with rare cancer who flew to Israel for a cure is killed by Iranian strike
A seven-year-old Ukrainian girl who was diagnosed with a rare cancer and moved to Israel in hope of a cure has been killed by an Iranian air strike. Nastya Buryk died alongside members with her family in Bat Yam last week when a missile fired by the Islamic regime struck their apartment block. Nastya, her mother, grandmother and two brothers, were all killed in the blast on June 13, the first night of Iran's barrage, it was reported by Israeli news outlet Ynet. Her father, Artem, who is fighting against Russian invaders in Kyiv, remains alive. She had been undergoing treatment for lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare cancer that attacks blood and bone marrow. Nastya, from Odesa, was first diagnosed in 2022 and underwent chemotherapy in Ukraine. Her condition improved but she later relapsed. 'On August 29, 2022, we heard the terrible news: 'Your daughter has cancer,'' her mother Maria Peshkureva wrote on social media. 'Since that day, I have been living in a parallel reality, where the main thing is to save. To breathe. To not give up.' As her health worsened, her family searched for more specialist treatment and, thanks to charitable donations, they sought medical care in Israel, where Nastya had a bone marrow transplant. The procedure was unsuccessful and her leukaemia returned. Earlier this year, her family turned to a new treatment in Israel, while her grandmother, Olena, 60, and two brothers, Konstantin and Ilya, nine and 13, flew from Ukraine to be with her. Both of the boys attended a local school. Nastya's father, who joined Ukraine's 95th Airborne Assault Brigade in 2022, recorded videos from the front line to appeal for donations as the cost of his daughter's care escalated. Her family believed they would be safer in Israel than Odesa, which has suffered deadly shelling from Russian forces. Ukraine's embassy in Israel said: 'On June 14, five Ukrainian citizens, including three minors, were killed in a massive Iranian missile attack on Israel, with a missile hitting a residential building in the city of Bat Yam. 'Ukrainian diplomats and consuls are in close contact with the police and other services to identify and organise the process of returning the bodies of the dead.' The attack on Bat Yam also killed four other people and injured more than 100. Since June 13, Iran has fired missiles at Israel every day in response to Israel's 'pre-emptive strike' on the regime's nuclear facilities on June 12.
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Ukrainian girl, 7, with rare cancer who flew to Israel for a cure is killed by Iranian strike
A seven-year-old Ukrainian girl who was diagnosed with a rare cancer and moved to Israel in hope of a cure has been killed by an Iranian air strike. Nastya Buryk died alongside members with her family in Bat Yam last week when a missile fired by the Islamic regime struck their apartment block. Nastya, her mother, grandmother and two brothers, were all killed in the blast on June 13, the first night of Iran's barrage, it was reported by Israeli news outlet Ynet. Her father, Artem, who is fighting against Russian invaders in Kyiv, remains alive. She had been undergoing treatment for lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare cancer that attacks blood and bone marrow. Nastya, from Odesa, was first diagnosed in 2022 and underwent chemotherapy in Ukraine. Her condition improved but she later relapsed. 'On August 29, 2022, we heard the terrible news: 'Your daughter has cancer,'' her mother Maria Peshkureva wrote on social media. 'Since that day, I have been living in a parallel reality, where the main thing is to save. To breathe. To not give up.' As her health worsened, her family searched for more specialist treatment and, thanks to charitable donations, they sought medical care in Israel, where Nastya had a bone marrow transplant. The procedure was unsuccessful and her leukaemia returned. Earlier this year, her family turned to a new treatment in Israel, while her grandmother, Olena, 60, and two brothers, Konstantin and Ilya, nine and 13, flew from Ukraine to be with her. Both of the boys attended a local school. Nastya's father, who joined Ukraine's 95th Airborne Assault Brigade in 2022, recorded videos from the front line to appeal for donations as the cost of his daughter's care escalated. Her family believed they would be safer in Israel than Odesa, which has suffered deadly shelling from Russian forces. Ukraine's embassy in Israel said: 'On June 14, five Ukrainian citizens, including three minors, were killed in a massive Iranian missile attack on Israel, with a missile hitting a residential building in the city of Bat Yam. 'Ukrainian diplomats and consuls are in close contact with the police and other services to identify and organise the process of returning the bodies of the dead.' The attack on Bat Yam also killed four other people and injured more than 100. Since June 13, Iran has fired missiles at Israel every day in response to Israel's 'pre-emptive strike' on the regime's nuclear facilities on June 12.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Leeds researchers hail leukaemia treatment 'milestone'
A chemotherapy-free approach for some patients suffering from leukaemia could lead to better outcomes, scientists behind a five-year medical trial have findings of the UK-wide study, led by researchers from Leeds, could reshape the way the most common form of leukaemia in adults was treated, according to those behind the trial looked at whether using two targeted cancer drugs could prove to be more effective than standard chemotherapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common form of leukaemia in Talha Munir, consultant haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study, called its results a "milestone". CLL is a rare blood cancer that affects about 3,800 people in the UK each year, most of whom are over the age of 40. Symptoms can include persistent illness, weight loss, swelling, fatigue and anaemia, where there are not enough red blood cells in the blood. The half-decade-long trial involved researchers from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds and focused on 786 patients across 96 cancer results showed that the treatment, using two drugs, ibrutinib and venetoclax, led to better survival rates, fewer long-term side effects, and the possibility of life without chemotherapy for many to the results of the study, which have now been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers also found the alternative treatment regime was tolerated better than traditional Munir said: "We have shown a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients."By tailoring individualised treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we're moving into an era of truly personalised medicine." One of the patients benefiting from the trial was Catherine Whitfield, from Farnley, Leeds, who was diagnosed with CLL in 2018 and who now has no cancer cells after three years of Whitfield, 63, said the trial had "felt right" to her. "The way this trial was explained, it just made sense," she explained. "Also, the thought of chemotherapy was scary to me. The trial felt right. And it was."Ms Whitfield said she had previously lost her husband to cancer: "I have seen how hard it could be.""My first thought after my diagnosis was, I will never see my grandchildren being born and growing up," she said."Now I have two grandchildren, Drew and Alaia, and they are a delight and highlight the joys of a healthy life".Dr Munir said: "This isn't just about data. It's about people like Catherine, and thousands of others, who trusted us with their care. "Thanks to them, we're changing the future of cancer treatment." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
UK-wide drug trial hailed as a ‘milestone' in leukaemia treatment
A groundbreaking UK-wide trial has found a chemotherapy-free approach to treating leukaemia that may lead to better outcomes for some patients, with the results being hailed as a 'milestone'. Led by researchers from Leeds, results from the Flair trial, which took place at 96 cancer centres across the UK, could reshape the way the most common form of leukaemia in adults is treated, scientists said. The trial set out to assess whether two targeted cancer drugs could perform better than standard chemotherapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). It involved 786 people with previously untreated CLL who were randomly assigned to receive standard chemotherapy, a single targeted drug, ibrutinib, or two targeted drugs taken together, ibrutinib and venetoclax. Treatment was guided by personalised blood tests. The trial found that after five years 94% of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression. This compares with 79% for those on ibrutinib alone and 58% for those on standard chemotherapy, according to the study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented to the European Haematology Association congress in Milan, Italy. Meanwhile, 66% of patients on the combined drugs had no detectable cancer in their bone marrow after two years, compared with none of the people who received ibrutinib alone and 48% on chemotherapy. Ibrutinib is a type of drug known as a cancer growth blocker. It works by stopping signals that cancer cells use to divide and grow. Venetoclax blocks the functions of a protein found in CLL cells. The combined-drug regime was also tolerated better than traditional treatments, according to experts. Dr Talha Munir, a consultant haematologist at Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust who led the study said: 'Flair trial is a milestone. We have shown that a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients. 'By tailoring individualised treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we're moving into an era of truly personalised medicine.' Dr Iain Foulkes, the executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, which funded the trial along with the drug companies AbbVie, and Johnson & Johnson, said: 'The results show we can provide kinder, more targeted treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, which gives people with CLL more precious time with their loved ones. 'We're hopeful that the results of the Flair trial will power new treatment options for leukaemia and other blood cancers, thanks to the efforts of researchers at in Leeds and across the UK working together on this trial.' CLL is the most common form of leukaemia in adults. It affects white blood cells, breaking down the body's ability to fight infection. About 4,000 people are diagnosed with CLL in the UK every year. Catherine Whitfield, 63, from Farnley, West Yorkshire, was diagnosed with CLL in 2018 signed up to the trial, which was coordinated by the Leeds Cancer Research UK clinical trials unit at the University of Leeds and sponsored by the university. She said: 'After three years of treatment, I am still MRD [minimal residual disease] negative – that means no cancer cells.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Chemo-free 'milestone' for leukaemia: Groundbreaking UK trial could reshape future treatment for cancer patients
Scientists have hailed a 'milestone' in leukaemia care for patients after a UK trial found a chemotherapy-free approach to treatment may lead to better outcomes for some patients. The groundbreaking UK-wide trial could reshape the way the most common form of leukaemia in adults is treated. Researchers from Leeds wanted to assess whether two targeted cancer drugs could perform better than standard chemotherapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). They led the Flair trial, which took place at 96 cancer centres across the UK. Some 786 people with previously untreated CLL were randomly assigned to receive standard chemotherapy; a single targeted drug, ibrutinib, or two targeted drugs taken together, ibrutinib and venetoclax, with treatment guided by personalised blood tests. They found that after five years, 94 per cent of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression. This compares with 79 per cent for those on ibrutinib alone and 58 per cent for those on standard chemotherapy, according to the study, which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented to the European Haematology Association congress in Milan, Italy. Meanwhile 66 per cent of patients on the new combination had no detectable cancer in their bone marrow after two years, compared with none of the people who received ibrutinib alone and 48 per cent on chemotherapy. Ibrutinib is a type of drug known as a cancer growth blocker. It works by stopping signals that cancer cells use to divide and grow. And venetoclax blocks the functions of a protein found in CLL cells. Experts said that the new treatment regime was also tolerated better than traditional treatments. Dr Talha Munir, consultant haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study said: 'Flair trial is a milestone. We have shown that a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients. 'By tailoring individualised treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we're moving into an era of truly personalised medicine.' Catherine Whitfield, 63, from Farnley, West Yorkshire, was diagnosed with CLL in 2018 after she noticed symptoms including bleeding gums, constant illness and neck pain. She signed up to the trial, which was co-ordinated by the Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Leeds and sponsored by the University of Leeds. She said: 'After three years of treatment, I am still MRD negative - that means no cancer cells.' 'I lost my husband to cancer. I have seen how hard it could be. 'My first thought after my diagnosis was, I will never see my grandchildren being born and growing up. 'Now I have two grandchildren, Drew and Alaia, and they are a delight and highlight the joys of a healthy life'. Ms Whitfield added: 'The way this trial was explained, it just made sense. 'Also, the thought of chemotherapy was scary to me. The trial felt right. And it was.' Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, which funded the trial along with AbbVie, and Johnson and Johnson, said: 'The results of the Flair trial show that we can provide kinder, more targeted treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, which gives people with CLL more precious time with their loved ones. 'We're hopeful that the results of the Flair trial will power new treatment options for leukaemia and other blood cancers, thanks to the efforts of researchers at in Leeds and across the UK working together on this trial.' Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is the most common form of leukaemia in adults. There are about 4,000 new CLL cases in the UK every year.
