Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a rare blood cancer. According to National Cancer Institute, the number of estimated new cases of leukemia in 2019 in the U.S. was 61, 780. Such a high prevalence of leukemia is expected to propel the growth of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics market.
Leukemia is one of the most serious diseases that a patient can have and the treatment must be very carefully planned. The goal of treatment is to prolong life as much as possible. This can be achieved by removing the cancerous cells and keeping them from multiplying further. Drugs are used to help control the patients' overall health. Surgery is usually performed if cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes or when the tumors have become large enough to block the lymph nodes. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery are the most common treatments for patients with leukemia.
The acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics market in the Asia Pacific is driven by the high prevalence of ALL. According to the World Health Organization, India recorded 42055 new cases and 32,471 deaths due to leukemia in 2018. Chemotherapy is the treatment of ALL and other cancers using drug therapies and chemicals. This includes both synthetic and natural chemicals. Chemotherapy can be administered orally or intravenously. It can either be administered alone or in combination with other treatments such as radiation therapy or surgery. Chemotherapy treatment has several side effects including hair loss. Chemotherapy is not always effective. Some drugs in the acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics market are ineffective in a single attempt and some medications cannot tolerate the acidic pH of human blood. Therefore, repeated use of chemotherapy is often necessary for an effective treatment. Sometimes, even when the treatment is successful, more medications are needed to keep the patient comfortable.
Another approach used in the acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics market is combination therapy. This includes combination chemotherapy (given intravenously or orally), combination immunotherapies (given to fight other diseases besides cancer) or combination treatment of drugs (used to increase the effectiveness of an active drug or to minimize the toxicity of an inactive drug). The most common type of leukemia in children is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) followed by acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). According to National Cancer Institute, the U.S. is expected to record 6,150 new cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia in 2020. ALL is highly prevalent in children between the ages of 2 and 4 years. According to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2018-2019 facts, the incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 7.8 (per 100,000) in children aged 1-4 years during 2011-2015. Such a high prevalence of ALL in children is also expected to aid in the growth of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics market.