Longmont Child Beating the Odds of Childhood Leukemia
Boulder Daily Camera
As lead author of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in mid-March, Dr. Stephen Hunger, director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Colorado, reported much better outcomes of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer.
News of the study renewed hope for Longmont resident Susan Burnett, whose grandson Davein VanDyke was diagnosed with ALL last April. "When he was first diagnosed, there was shock. And then the oncologist is talking to you about a cure rate, and your eyes just go wide open. I had no idea it was curable," Burnett said.
Because so many patients like him and their families participated in Hunger's study, there is a 90-plus percent chance that he will survive his diagnosis.
Read the story about Davein and his family beating the odds.