Global patient organisation launched to help millions of patients with cancer

First support network aims to create international voice to raise awareness of lymphoma

There are currently very few patient groups worldwide providing support to people with this form of cancer, which kills 186,000* people every year. An additional 350,000* are newly diagnosed annually.

The Lymphoma Coalition is an international non-profit networking organisation of lymphoma patient groups with a current international member base of leading lymphoma organisations from Australia, America, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and the UK. Its aim is to build partnerships between lymphoma groups in order to share best practice worldwide and to encourage the formation of new lymphoma patient groups around the world, especially in countries where groups are not already in existence.

"At long last the Lymphoma Coalition offers a network of information and support that until now only very few countries have had access to. With commitment and collaboration from both individuals and organisations across the world, the Lymphoma Coalition aims to raise the profile of this unrecognised killer - helping more people survive cancer and have a better chance at life," said Sue Bliss of the Lymphoma Research Foundation in the US, one of the founding members of the Lymphoma Coalition.

Professor David Linch, University College London, UK welcomes the launch: "The Lymphoma Coalition will help provide all lymphoma sufferers around the world with easier access to information and a support network for dealing with their disease which they may not have had access to previously. By raising public awareness we can hope to ensure earlier diagnosis and treatment."

The exact cause of lymphoma is unknown and initial diagnosis can be difficult as people can easily mistake its symptoms, such as tiredness, fever, and swollen glands, for common complaints such as flu, fatigue or glandular fever. If untreated, some types of lymphoma can be fatal within six months.

To ensure a truly global network, one of the key support mechanisms provided by the Lymphoma Coalition is a dedicated website, offering easy access to help and information for people across the world. Go to www.lymphomacoalition.org to learn more about this deadly disease.

The Lymphoma Coalition annual meeting is currently held during the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in December.