Skip to main content

Blood Cancers: What You Need to Know

By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 29, 2024.

via HealthDay

SATURDAY, Sept. 28, 2024 -- Blood cancer is not a diagnosis anyone wants to receive, but understanding the different types of this disease and how best to catch them early is essential, one expert says.

First, blood cancers are far more common than you might think: One person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, every three minutes.

“Highlighting blood cancer is crucial, as awareness and education are our best tools in combating these diseases and supporting patients in their recovery journey,” said Dr. Claire Yun Kyoung Ryu Tiger, a medical oncologist in the Leukemia/Lymphoma/Hematologic Malignancies Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute. “Knowing the distinctions of each type of blood cancer is vital for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.”

So, what are three main types of blood cancers? Here's a list:

So, what are the symptoms to watch for with blood cancers?

While there are no routine screening tests for leukemia or lymphoma, knowing the warning signs can help doctors diagnose and treat these cancers successfully, Tiger said. Common symptoms include:

“Many patients with blood cancers initially experience vague symptoms that can be attributed to less serious conditions. It’s crucial to pay attention to persistent or unusual changes in your health and seek medical advice promptly,” Tiger said in a Rutgers news release.

“Advances in blood cancer treatment have given us more effective ways to treat these diseases,” Tiger added. “With ongoing research and new therapies, patients have more options with more effective and less toxic treatments. We’re in a new era of treatment for many types of blood cancer, and have never been more hopeful.”

Sources

  • Rutgers Cancer Institute, news release, Sept. 23, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

AI Boosts Skin Cancer Diagnoses, Study Says

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 — An experimental AI tool can help speed detection of melanoma and other skin diseases, a new study says. The tool, PanDerm, improved accuracy of...

New Molecular Test Could Double Leukemia Survival Rates

MONDAY, May 5, 2025 — Testing positive for leukemia actually saved the life of 51-year-old Jan Leahy, a business process owner from Wimbledon, England. Leahy benefitted...

Ready-Made Immune Therapy Effective Against Leukemia

MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- A ready-made version of a cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy can effectively defeat blood cancers, a new study says. Researchers have prepared an...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.