Blood cancer:
Improving care

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Quick Links
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Understanding symptoms and risks
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Blood cancer icon
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Blood cancer happens when abnormal blood cells grow uncontrollably, crowding out healthy cells and disrupting normal blood function.2

The three main types—leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma—affect people of all ages. There are however many other types of blood cancer.2 For additional information about blood cancer types, visit Blood Cancer UK.

Thanks to advances in treatment and research, people with blood cancer are living longer today than they did 20 years ago.1

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BLOOD CANCER SYMPTOMS

Clues your body might be
giving you

Blood cancers develop by genetic mutations, or changes in the DNA of blood cells.  Additional risk factors vary by specific type of cancer.3
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Some common symptoms are:4,7,10
  • Fever and chills
  • Ongoing fatigue and weakness
  • Loss of appetite or nausea
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Night sweats
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Abdominal (stomach area) discomfort
  • Headaches
  • Shortness of breath
  • Frequent infections
  • Itchy skin or skin rash
  • Swollen lymph node in the neck, underarms, or groin
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See your healthcare professional if you're experiencing symptoms

It’s important to see your healthcare professional if you’re experiencing any signs or symptoms. It's important to listen to your body and get anything concerning checked out.
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DIAGNOSING BLOOD CANCER

Steps to a blood cancer diagnosis

You should see your healthcare professional if you are experiencing symptoms of blood cancer. Healthcare professionals usually start by giving you a check-up. They’ll ask about your health, look at your body and lymph nodes, and check for bruises or signs of infection.
Additional tests will depend on the type of blood cancer you may have:
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Blood tests5,8,11

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These can show if anything looks out of the ordinary, like your blood cell count or proteins in your blood
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Imaging scans5,8,11

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These can be helpful, but this also depends on the type of blood cancer. Scans could include CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, X-ray, or ultrasound.
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Biopsy8,11

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A biopsy may also be needed to study a sample of cells, like from an affected lymph node.
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Bone marrow aspiration3

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Bone marrow aspiration is another procedure that looks at your bone marrow, looking for abnormal cells or DNA changes.
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TREATMENT

Common treatment options for blood cancer

There are different ways to treat blood cancer. The treatment you get depends on the type of blood cancer you have and other individual factors. Your healthcare professional will help you choose what’s best for you. You might get more than one kind of treatment at the same time. It’s important to talk with your healthcare professional about how each treatment works and what side effects it might have.

Here are some common treatments:

  • Chemotherapy6,12  – Medicine that helps shrink or kill cancer cells.
  • Targeted Therapy6,12 – Medicine that attacks cancer cells but leaves healthy cells alone.
  • Radiation Therapy6,12 – High-energy rays (like X-rays) that kill cancer cells
  • Immunotherapy9 – Medicine that helps your immune system find and fight cancer.
  • Stem Cell Transplant12 – A procedure that helps your body make healthy blood cells again.

References

  1. Blood Cancer UK. Blood cancer survival rising faster than other common cancers [Internet]. London: Blood Cancer UK; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026]. Available from: https://bloodcancer.org.uk/news/blood-cancer-survival-rising-faster-other-common-cancers/
  2. Blood Cancer UK. Understanding blood cancer [Internet]. London: Blood Cancer UK; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026]. Available from: https://bloodcancer.org.uk/understanding-blood-cancer/
  3. Blood Cancer UK. What causes blood cancer? [Internet]. London: Blood Cancer UK; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026]. Available from: https://bloodcancer.org.uk/understanding-blood-cancer/about-blood-cancer/what-causes-blood-cancer/
  4. NHS. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – Symptoms [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-lymphoblastic-leukaemia/symptoms/
  5. NHS. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia – Tests and next steps [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-lymphocytic-leukaemia/tests-and-next-steps/
  6. NHS. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia – Treatment [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-lymphocytic-leukaemia/treatment/
  7. NHS. Hodgkin lymphoma – Symptoms [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hodgkin-lymphoma/symptoms/
  8. NHS. Hodgkin lymphoma – Tests [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hodgkin-lymphoma/tests/
  9. NHS. Hodgkin lymphoma – Treatment [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hodgkin-lymphoma/treatment/
  10. NHS. Myeloma – Symptoms [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/myeloma/symptoms/
  11. NHS. Myeloma – Tests and next steps [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/myeloma/tests-and-next-steps/
  12. NHS. Myeloma – Treatment [Internet]. London: NHS; [date not stated] [accessed 20 Mar 2026].
    Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/myeloma/treatment/
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