Around 16,000 people die in the UK from blood cancer every year, but the warning signs can be hard to spot. Blood cancer is the third biggest cancer killer and there are more than 100 different types of the disease, but some of them start with vague and easy-to-miss symptoms.
As is the case with all cancers, early diagnosis is crucial to improve treatment outcomes. The more well-known variations of blood cancer include leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, but there’s also myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), as Blood Cancer UK explains.
All cases of blood cancer are caused by mutations in DNA within blood cells, which cause the cells to start behaving abnormally, as the Mirror reports. But what are the signs and symptoms of this potentially-devastating disease?
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According to Blood Cancer UK, there are 11 common red flags to watch out for. These include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unexplained bruising or bleeding
- Lumps or swellings
- Breathlessness
- Drenching night sweats
- Infections that are persistent, recurrent or severe
- Unexplained fever (37.5°C or above)
- Unexplained rash or itchy skin
- Pain in your bones, joints or abdomen
- Fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest or sleep
- Paleness (pallor) – the skin under your lower eyelid looks white rather than pink.
One in 19 people will develop blood cancer, so if you have just one symptom that you can’t explain, it’s advised to book an appointment with your GP as soon as possible. If you suddenly feel very unwell at any time, get medical help by calling 999 or going to A&E.
It is not fully understood why someone will develop blood cancer, but the disease has been associated with genetic as well as environmental factors. Yale Medicine explains that smoking, radiation exposure and exposure to certain chemicals have all been linked to increased risk of some types of blood cancers.
The health website states: “Epstein-Barr virus, HIV and human T-cell lymphoma/leukaemia virus infections are also risk factors for developing lymphomas and leukaemias.”
Leukaemia is one of the most widely-known types of blood cancers which affects blood cells in the bone marrow, usually white blood cells. It occurs when the body creates too many abnormal white blood cells and interferes with the bone marrow’s ability to make red blood cells and platelets. Blood cancer is caused by changes in the DNA within blood cells.
As part of Blood Cancer Awareness month, which takes place every September, Blood Cancer UK has urged people to break the silence surrounding blood cancer by saying its name. A new campaign is encouraging people with blood cancer to qualify that their individual condition is a type of blood cancer to help raise vital awareness.
in the video, actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry said: “76% people aren’t told what they have is blood cancer when they’re diagnosed, they end up finding out on Google or not at all. And they’re missing out on being part of a supportive community. And that’s why I’m asking when you’re speaking about these conditions to say blood cancer.”
People with experience of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, multiple myeloma, chronic myeloid leukaemia, and those MPNs are all featured in the film. Aimee Togher, 23, is another face of the campaign and was just 22 when she found a lump on her neck. She was later diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin-lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.
She said: “Getting a blood cancer diagnosis was a complete shock. Not everyone gets told this. Many people don’t know what blood cancer actually is. It isn’t just one cancer – it’s so many different types. I was lucky that I knew lymphoma was a type of cancer. The ‘c word’ was never actually mentioned by my doctor. We need to spread awareness of blood cancer, what it is, who’s affected by it, so that we can bring people together.”
Helen Rowntree, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK said: “Few realise that blood cancer is amongst the top five most prevalent cancers in the UK, and even fewer know that leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are all types of blood cancer. By breaking the silence, raising awareness, we hold the power to reduce the harm blood cancer causes. Let us unite to make a difference in the lives of those battling these conditions.”