Leukemia Drug Gleevec Continues to Amaze
Key points
- It was late 1997 and Doug Jensen, 71, of Canby, Ore., thought he'd developed a particularly stubborn cold.
- Then Jensen got the devastating news: Blood tests confirmed he had chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a deadly blood cancer.
- In 1997, average life expectancy for CML patients "was about four to six, maybe seven years," according to Dr.
- But his symptoms dragged on and "kept getting worse," he said.
It was late 1997 and Doug Jensen, 71, of Canby, Ore., thought he'd developed a particularly stubborn cold. But his symptoms dragged on and "kept getting worse," he said.
Then Jensen got the devastating news: Blood tests confirmed he had chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a deadly blood cancer.
In 1997, average life expectancy for CML patients "was about four to six, maybe seven years," according to Dr. Brian Druker, a cancer researcher at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute, in nearby Portland.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.