Dear Sir,
Could you please give me the median survival for elderly acute lymphoblastic leukemia,I am unsure of type.Also do you know what it was in early 80's?I lost a relative in 1982 and would like to know if any progress in this age group.
Sincerely,
<email removed for privacy>

Call the reference department of your public library. They will find this info for you.

Hi Marie,

In general, ALL in adults carry a poor prognosis, especially in older adults. The majority of adults (75-90%) can achieve remission, meaning no evidence of disease anywhere. However, remission does not mean cure, and ALL frequently relapse. Overall survival at 5 years is 30-40%, and that is for all adults in general. Prognosis in older adults is even poorer though.
Also, chemotherapy for this type of leukemia is generally fairly toxic, and the most feared, and not infrequent complication is infection during chemotherapy. Older adults in general are even more susceptible to chemo toxicity, so it is not a risk free treatment. Your doctor may dose reduce or choose alternative regimens with less toxicity.

Please do ask your elderly adult's doctor if you have any further questions.

Good luck