The Association's president, Drazen Vincek, said that the incidence of hematological diseases in Croatia is similar to the incidence in Europe, and that the availability of treatment in Croatia is at a high level.
"The availability of treatment is at quite a high level, but there are still some drugs which are administered in Europe and the world, but not in Croatia. Three drugs for treating multiple myeloma have recently been added to the list of medicinal products that are reimbursed by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO), which is a great success. Our association is responsible for many of the medicinal products being now available at the market, such as Glivec and MabThera, because people want better quality when a new, revolutionary treatment appears," said Vincek.
HULL helps patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and related diseases, as well as their families. It also collects donations and develops and implements patient assistance programmes.
Lymphoma is the most often lymphatic tissue cancer, affecting the key part of the immune system, and it is one of the ten most frequent malignant diseases. In Croatia, approximately 600 people are diagnosed with lymphoma every year, and the incidence of the disease increases 4% year on year.
Leukemia is a malignant disease affecting bone marrow, which causes malfunctions in the regulatory mechanisms manifesting in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells.