ZAGREB, 3 April 2022 - About 150 people in Croatia are annually diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and the survival rate is about 5% below the EU average, a round table on the treatment and quality of life of AML patients heard earlier this week.

"In Croatia, every week three persons are told they have AML, which is 156 annually, according to data from the Cancer Register for 2019. The five-year survival rate is 12.6%, compared to the EU average of 17.2%, which shows that there is considerable room for improving treatment", the participating doctors and patients said at the round table.

AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adulthood and the most frequent age at diagnosis is 65 years, with increasing incidence after 65 years of age. It has the lowest survival rate compared to other types of leukemia and is treatable in about 40 per cent of patients aged under 60 years, most frequently by bone marrow transplantation from an unrelated donor.

"In Croatia, we have 70,000 bone marrow samples and we can find an unrelated donor relatively quickly, which is why nearly every patient in Croatia has a chance to get a transplant and be cured. The number of transplantations has reached one hundred annually, which is within the European average," haematologist Radovan Vrhovac said.

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August 27, 2020 -  Mila Rončević (3) had a bone marrow transplant in November last year. She's beaten leukemia, returned from America and is now back home in Rijeka.

It's been a year and four months since the whole of Croatia heard about little Mila, reports 24 sata. There were days, weeks, months of uncertainty, worry, and concern. In March last year, Mila's father, Marin, received a call from a hospital in America. He was told he would need three million dollars for the treatment which could save his youngest daughter from leukemia. At first, he did not think it was possible.

But, the whole of Croatia united. In just a few days, more money was collected than needed - almost 40 million kunas. The Rončević family had been given a chance. And, against many odds, the treatment was successful. Mila is now free of leukemia.

The Rončević family hit the Croatian headlines in March of 2019 when they appealed for help in meeting costs for Mira's leukemia treatment in America. The country united and raised the funds. © 24 sata

After undergoing a bone marrow transplant Mila has now been in remission for six months. The family says she is doing well. Because of the complicated procedures, it was necessary for Mila to spend six months in isolation. She must be happy to now be back among family and friends in Rijeka. Following the uncertainty of flight availability due to Coronavirus, the family finally flew back to Croatia one month ago, at the end of July.

After so many months under the spotlight, the emotionally exhausted family has requested privacy. For now, they just want peace and the chance to start a new beginning with Mila, a chance that, not so long ago, they never thought they'd have.

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