The aim of treatment for leukemia is to bring about a complete remission. Complete remission means that there is no evidence of the disease and the patient returns to good health with normal blood and marrow cells.
For acute leukemia, a complete remission (no evidence of disease in the blood or marrow) that lasts five years after treatment often indicates cure.
Treatment centers report increasing numbers of patients with leukemia who are in complete remission at least five years after diagnosis of their disease (the relative five-year survival rate has more than tripled in the past 50 years for patients with leukemia).

Do you know what type of leukemia your friend had?

thanks for the reply but I dont know anything about his condition except that he said he had this seven years back. Infact I know him only for the last 3 years. he never likes to talk about it..so i cant get to know the type but he says sometimes that he has still some malignant cells but doc says it is ok..sometimes he says that he is totally cured..am confused but he is healthy and works in a MNC. I feel he hides something from me..Is there any chance of his kid getting this? Im worried becaue everytime he says 'Im perfectly ok, now I dont have any leukemia'...What I cant udnerstand is when he is perfectly alright how can there be still 'some malignant cells'???? Sometimes I even feel that he has nothing but just lying to me..am really confused but i care for him a lot..

I was diagnosed with ALL on October 16-17 1980 and October 16 of this year will mark 28 years, 23 years in remission.

Hi, actually I was born 1985 and I was diagnosed with Lukemia around the age of 10(around 1989). I had to take up radiation therapy and I got a bone marrow transplant. What age were you, when you were diagnosed with Lukemia? And, I happen to be short (only 5.1 and I am now 23). I checked up a couple of places on the net, all of them mention that a bone marrow transplant and radiation theorapy at a young age will dramatically effect the heigh. And anyone who has gone radiation theorapy will have problems with short term memory. Both of these which I am facing right now....SO I was wondering whether you are in the same boat?.....................

Thx In Advance

clovis -- congrats!
i also was dignosed with ALL --(in 1997) so it has been 11 years since my diagnosis and I am considered cured. but to answer the initial question...survival rates for leukemia have increased greatly over the past 10-15 years. many patients are considered cured after their therapy is complete and they go on to live happy, normal lives.
like MandMS was saying, the aim of leukemia treatment is to completely eradicate the disease -- put it into remission, so when the patient is done with the regimen, they are considered cured.

I was dignosed with HCL on Oct 23 2008,I finished chemo on Nov.14,I've had some side effects(fevers,Bone pain,headaches).I'm looking for someone who's had a long remission without having to go there anymore chemo,prehaps they know something I don't or prehaps they might have some advice for me?
Thanks

re post by anonymous on Dec 21st 2008, I was diag with HCL about 10 years ago. Took Cladroform chemo for a week and have been good in remission ever since. Some drugs I was given to counter possible infection at that time caused unpleasant side effects (I hate pills) and after I was taken off them I got well again! Medics keep an eye on me; annual check up. Take care.

This is to Anonymous

I am surprised you did chemo for HCL. They have been using a drug for quite awhile where you have 1 treatment and you are done. It has the highest cure rate among leukemia of 98%.

Message to lotusleaf! As per my post, of course you need a/one chemo treatment for HCL. That's what Anonymous said he had (there being a gap between diagnosis and treatment). I hoped that my post would reassure him that, with luck, the initial chemo would get him into remission - and keep him there - for many years to come.