Cancer
Cancer is a disease process resulting from uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that lack normal control mechanisms. It can manifest itself in a variety of ways, depending on the affected cell type and tissue. For instance, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Over time, the cells multiply, resulting in less room for healthy white and red blood cells as well as platelets, which may result in infection, anemia and bleeding.
CLL falls into the category of hematological (blood) cancers, which affect the cells of the blood and bone marrow. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, blood cancers will claim the lives of more than 52,000 people, and more than 137,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States. Cephalon has products on the market—and others in development—for several types of blood cancers: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Chronic Lymphocyctic Leukemia.