Blood cancers affect the production and function of blood cells. They grow out of control and stop your blood from fighting infection or preventing serious bleeding.
Symptoms vary depending on the type of blood cancer. They include swollen lymph nodes, an enlarged liver or spleen, or bone pain in your bones.
The causes of blood cancer are not fully understood, but certain things can increase a person’s risk. Cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow or lymphatic system usually develop when the body’s white blood cells go haywire and begin growing out of control, crowding out healthy blood cells and blocking blood flow. These cancers include leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Some factors that are associated with blood cancer can be changed, such as smoking and exposure to certain chemicals. Some can’t be changed, such as a person’s age or whether he or she has a family history of cancer. It’s also important to note that a person may have many risk factors and still develop cancer.
In some cases, a person’s blood cancer is caused by an inherited gene mutation. Researchers have linked some genetic mutations to a higher risk of developing leukemia and other types of blood cancer. Other risk factors for leukemia and lymphoma include treatment for another type of cancer (including chemotherapy), radiation exposure, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren syndrome, and a person’s race or ethnicity.
Some types of leukemia are more common in children than in adults, while other forms of blood cancer can occur at any age. A person’s sex is also an important factor in determining their likelihood of getting some types of leukemia and lymphoma. Men are slightly more likely to develop certain blood cancers than women.
Blood cancer affects the way your body makes blood cells. Normally, your bone marrow creates healthy blood cells: white blood cells fight infection; red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues and organs of your body; and platelets help your blood clot when you get hurt. Blood cancers start in the marrow or in lymph nodes and can spread to other parts of the body. The most common types of blood cancer are leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and multiple myeloma.
Symptoms vary depending on the type of blood cancer you have. Most people with blood cancer don’t have any symptoms, but some may have swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck, armpits, groin area, or belly; fatigue; weakness; itchy skin; and bleeding from the nose or gums.
If you have these symptoms, call your doctor right away. Even if the doctor doesn’t think you have cancer, it’s important to see one because early diagnosis can mean more effective treatment.
Your doctor will ask about your health history and do a physical exam. They’ll feel your lymph nodes and spleen and look for any other signs of disease, such as an enlarged liver or spleen.
A complete blood count can tell your doctor if you have too few or too many healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A CBC can also detect changes in your DNA, which might be caused by some types of blood cancer.
Your doctor may do a test called a bone marrow biopsy to find out what’s wrong with your marrow. This involves removing a small sample of marrow from the hip bone with a needle. Your doctor will numb the area first and might give you medicine to make you sleepy.
Because blood cancers have such a wide range of symptoms, and because they affect different parts of the body, doctors must work hard to make a diagnosis. The main way to do this is through a close relationship with your primary care provider, including regular physical exams and recommended lab tests.
In most cases, a doctor will start by asking you about your health history and examining you. They may also look for swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpits or groin. Blood cancers are usually caused by changes in the DNA within blood cells. The mutations often start in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, or in part of your immune system called the lymphatic system.
Your bone marrow is like a sponge on the inside, filled with liquid that creates red blood cells and white blood cells. When blood cancer forms, the marrow produces abnormal blood cells, which can’t perform their normal functions. They can clog your bloodstream, crowding out healthy cells. They can cause anemia (low levels of red blood cells), and they can swell the lymph nodes, liver or spleen.
Your doctor can find out whether you have a blood cancer by doing a number of tests, both from your blood and your bone marrow. These include a complete blood count, which looks at how many of each type of cell is in your body. This test can also identify infections, inflammations and shortages or excesses of certain types of blood cells. Other tests that can help include flow cytometry, which looks at the size, shape and other characteristics of blood cells; immunophenotyping, which can tell if you have leukemia or lymphoma; and a polymerase chain reaction test, which can spot markers for some cancers.
Doctors treat blood cancers and disorders like leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma using a range of medicines and treatments. These can include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants and targeted therapies.
Blood cancers are caused by changes (mutations) in the DNA inside blood cells. This makes the cells grow and divide too much or stop them working properly, which can lead to illness. Most of these mutations happen in the bone marrow, which produces blood cells. The problems can start in different parts of the marrow, and they can affect different types of blood cells.
The type of blood cancer and the part of the marrow affected will decide what treatment is needed. Doctors diagnose these diseases by looking at the cells under a microscope and carrying out other very sophisticated tests.
Depending on the results, they may want to check your general health, examine your lymph nodes and take a sample of your blood to test for cancer cells. This is called a full blood count or haemogram, and it can show whether your blood cells are healthy, have too few or too many blood cells, or if they’re abnormal in any other way.
Another test doctors use is a bone marrow biopsy. This involves giving you numbing medication before they insert a needle into the soft spongy tissue inside your bones where your blood cells are made. They then remove a small amount of the marrow and look at it in a laboratory to see if there are any cancerous blood cells.
Blood cancers are treated with drugs called chemotherapy, which can be given by mouth or through an injection or vein (IV). Each type of blood cancer is treated differently. Your doctor will choose the best chemo regimen for you. They will consider your age and general health, and how strong you are. They will also consider if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Most blood cancers start in your bone marrow, the soft, sponge-like tissue inside most of your bones. It makes stem cells that mature into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets to fight infection, carry oxygen throughout your body and control bleeding.
Some blood cancers spread to lymph nodes, which are bean-sized collections of immune cells that run through your body. These often cause swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpit or groin.
Fatigue is a common symptom of blood cancer and a side effect of some treatment regimens. It can happen before, during or after treatment. It can be due to the illness or due to a combination of factors, including sleep problems, pain, anxiety and stress. It can even be a sign of other medical conditions.
Blood cancer affects the production and function of normal blood cells, making it harder for your body to fight infection and recover from illness. You might also have low levels of platelets, which help blood clot, leading to easy bruising and bleeding. You might have a fever, frequent infections, and enlarged lymph nodes. Women might have long or heavy periods or experience unexplained weight loss and night sweats.
If you are experiencing unexplained fatigue, be sure to tell your healthcare professional. They can help identify the cause and prescribe medicine to treat it.
Getting enough sleep and eating well can help ease fatigue. Getting more exercise may also boost energy levels. However, some people may still feel tired even after doing all these things. Unexplained fatigue is a key symptom of blood cancer, but it can also be caused by other medical conditions.
Blood cancer treatments can affect your body’s ability to produce and use healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. This can lead to anemia, which can make you feel tired. Anemia can be a side effect of chemotherapy, but it can also occur with other treatments, such as radiation and bone marrow transplants.
If your symptoms are severe, talk to your doctor about them. Your doctor will examine you and ask questions to determine the cause of your fatigue. They might order a blood test to measure your hemoglobin level or other blood cell counts.
Your health care team can recommend ways to manage your fatigue, such as balancing activity and rest. There are also medications that can boost your energy and reduce fatigue. They can be used in addition to other treatments or alone.
If you’re losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine, this can be a sign of blood cancer. Cancer cells use up your body’s energy, causing you to lose muscle and fat. This may also lead to fatigue and weakness due to not having enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
Persistent fever: A persistent fever is a sign that your body is fighting an infection or responding to abnormal cancer cells. It can make you feel tired and ache and can drench your skin in sweat. Drenching night sweats are another common symptom of blood cancer. They can interrupt your sleep, disturb your dreams and drench your bedding. Unexplained bleeding or bruising: Everyone has bumps, but if you’re bleeding more than usual, have a lot of bruising or your blood is sticky, it could be a sign that something is wrong with your immune system.
Blood cancers occur when your white blood cells grow out of control and crowd out healthy blood cells, leading to problems like a lowered ability to fight infections. The main types of blood cancer are leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
These are all cancers that start in the bone marrow, which produces blood cells. Leukemia starts in the bone marrow and blood, and causes white blood cells to grow out of control and replace healthy ones. Lymphoma affects the lymphatic system, which helps fight infections and disease. Myeloma, on the other hand, begins in plasma cells, a type of protein found in the bloodstream.
Getting these cancers diagnosed early is crucial. If you notice any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away. You can be referred to a specialist for further testing and treatment. National guidelines recommend that you should be seen within two weeks if you are referred for suspected cancer. This might seem like a long time, but it’s worth the wait to get your cancer diagnosed and treated early. This can help you feel better and live longer.
Bruises are fairly common — most of us have had them at some point – and usually result from an injury, such as a fall or bumping into something. However, if you notice unexplained bruising in areas of your body that aren’t the usual place for bruises or you have a blood cancer like leukemia, multiple myeloma, lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), it’s important to see a doctor.
Several things can cause unexplained bruising, including taking a blood thinner or other medication that affects blood clotting; bleeding in the brain or head; certain blood cancer treatments; and some diseases that lead to low platelet counts. If you have a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia or von Willebrand disease, or if you have a vitamin C deficiency, that may also contribute to unexplained bruising.
When a person has leukemia, the abnormal white blood cells are crowding out healthy platelets and other clotting elements in the bloodstream, which causes them to bruise more easily. Bruises might appear in unusual places, such as the hands or face, and they may be darker red or purple than normal. They might also look different than other bruises, with small dots (petechiae) or larger discolored patches that show up as white on black or brown skin and as red or purple on lighter skin.
Bleeding and bruising can be painful, and if the area becomes swollen or tender to touch, it’s important to contact your doctor. You should also call your doctor if the bruise isn’t getting better or if you have other symptoms of blood cancer, such as fever, fatigue, shortness of breath or bleeding in your stool or urine.
Your doctor will order bloodwork to check your blood clotting and other clotting factors. Depending on the results, your doctor might treat the underlying condition that’s causing your unexplained bruising. For example, if you take a blood thinner, your doctor might recommend adjusting the dosage. If you have a vitamin C deficiency, your doctor might prescribe a supplement. And if you have a disease that leads to a low platelet count, your doctor might give you medications or platelets to introduce healthy ones back into the bloodstream.
Blood cancer is a broad term for many types of cancer that affect the blood, bone marrow or lymphatic system. The most common types are leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. They develop when abnormal white blood cells become overactive and don’t function properly to help fight infection.
If you have blood cancer, your body may produce more fluids to support the growth of new healthy cells or to fight inflammation. This can lead to unexplained swelling or bloating, especially in your abdomen or legs. If you’re experiencing unexplained swelling, talk to your doctor. They can help determine if this symptom is related to your blood cancer or another health issue.
Swelling may be caused by a build-up of new blood cells in your spleen, which can occur with some blood cancers like lymphoma and myeloma. You can also experience swollen lymph nodes, which are small glands in your neck and chest that contain white blood cells to fight infections. Some blood cancers can cause a type of skin rash called petechiae. These are tiny red spots on the skin that aren’t always a sign of leukemia, but can also be associated with strep throat, scarlet fever and some medications like blood thinners, sedatives or antidepressants.
Depending on the type of blood cancer, doctors will often perform a biopsy to diagnose it. A biopsy involves taking a sample of tissue, usually from the lymph node or bone marrow where blood cells are formed. Doctors use a hollow needle to remove a little bit of the fluid or solid part of the tissue. They then send it to a laboratory to be examined by a pathologist.
If you have a blood cancer, it’s important to see your doctor if you notice any new or unexpected symptoms. While most of these aren’t signs of blood cancer, they’re worth bringing to the attention of your doctor so that you can get diagnosed and treated sooner.
Fortunately, the curability of blood cancer has improved significantly in recent years. Early diagnosis and efficient treatment is essential to cure the disease.
Doctors use lab tests, imaging scans and other methods to diagnose blood cancer. These include a complete blood count, bone marrow biopsy and cytogenetic/karyotyping tests. Then they determine the best treatment.
A wide range of chemotherapy drugs may be used to treat blood cancers. These medicines are injected or given as pills, often in combination with other treatments such as radiation therapy or targeted therapies. The goal of chemo is to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. However, chemotherapy can also harm healthy cells. This is what causes side effects such as hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and fever.
Treatment options for people with blood cancer depend on the type and stage of their disease, as well as personal preferences and goals. Our experts will consider all of these factors and help you decide which treatment is right for you.
Many blood cancers develop when abnormal blood cells grow out of control and interfere with normal blood cells that fight infection. These changes can cause symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, bruising or bleeding, fever or chills and bone pain.
Blood cancers can occur in different parts of the body, including the lymphatic system, bone marrow, red blood cells or platelets. The most common blood cancers are Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma. Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of white blood cells called lymphocytes. Leukemia is cancer of blood stem cells that produce other blood cells, such as red blood cells and white blood cells. Myeloma is cancer of plasma cells, which make antibodies that help the immune system fight infections.
Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles. You receive the drugs for a few weeks, then have a rest period. The number of cycles and the duration of each cycle varies, depending on the type of chemotherapy drugs you are receiving.
You can help reduce some of the side effects of chemotherapy by eating a healthy diet and taking nutritional supplements. Your doctor will provide you with a list of supplements that are safe for you. You should also take special care to protect your teeth and gums, because some chemotherapy drugs can affect the ability of your body to heal.
You can ask your oncologist if you are eligible for a clinical trial of new treatments for your type of blood cancer. These trials are the only way to test promising new treatments for blood cancers.
Cancer can be a terrifying and life-altering illness, but there are many ways to help you through treatment. As a care partner, you can support your loved one by helping him or her to research different treatments and services. You can also be a second set of ears and take notes at doctor appointments. You can even help the patient find a specialist for a second opinion.
Blood cancer is a disease that affects the bone marrow, blood cells and lymph nodes. These cancerous (malignant) blood cells grow out of control and interfere with normal blood cell production. They can spread to other parts of the body and cause symptoms such as fever or chills, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, bruising or unexplained weight loss.
The type of treatment you receive will depend on the kind of blood cancer you have and its stage. In recent years, doctors have made major advances in treating blood cancers. Many types of leukemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndromes can now be cured.
Treatment for blood cancers begins with chemotherapy, which is a combination of anticancer drugs that kill cancerous cells. The drugs can be given intravenously or orally in the form of pills. They can also be combined with other treatment options such as radiation therapy and stem cell transplantation.
Stem cell transplantation is a treatment that replaces the body’s damaged stem cells with healthy ones, so the bone marrow can resume producing normal blood cells. It is most often used to treat leukemia and some lymphomas.
Cancer surgery is sometimes an option for certain blood cancers, such as those that start in the spleen. At UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, we offer cancer surgeries including splenectomy, lymph node dissection and mastectomy.
Immunotherapy, which involves giving patients medicines that boost their immune systems to more successfully recognize and destroy cancerous cells, is a growing treatment for some blood cancers. It is commonly used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
The team at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center works with you to decide on the best treatment for your blood cancer. We provide a complete care approach that includes state-of-the-art clinical trials, supportive care and access to support services.
A stem cell transplant gives you a new supply of healthy blood cells to replace those destroyed by high dose chemotherapy. It can also help rebuild your immune system to stop cancer cells from coming back. It’s a treatment option for certain blood cancers, lymphoma and leukemia as well as myelodysplastic syndrome and some autoimmune diseases.
A transplant using your own blood stem cells is called an autologous transplant. For this type of transplant, doctors first coax your existing bone marrow into making more blood stem cells. You’ll get a series of injections (usually daily) that contain growth factor to increase stem cell production. Then, a procedure called apheresis is used to collect the blood stem cells from your body. The process takes three to four hours and does not hurt. You may have to repeat this process multiple times to make sure you have enough stem cells.
Doctors then use the transplanted stem cells to replace the damaged ones in your bone marrow and restore your blood counts to normal. You will usually stay in hospital until your blood counts return to normal, which can take 3 to 4 weeks. During this time, you will need to receive regular transfusions of red blood cells and platelets.
Before the transplant, you’ll receive chemotherapy that kills any cancer cells and strips away other blood-forming cells in your body. You might also have radiation therapy that targets your bones or your entire body, which is called total body irradiation (TBI). This will lower the risk of infection and help your stem cells to engraft.
If you have an allogeneic transplant, doctors will find a stem cell donor from your family or from the blood of a random stranger (an unrelated donor). Then they will give you the transplanted stem cells by placing a long, thin tube into a large vein in your chest or neck, called a central line. This will stay in place until your blood cells have re-established themselves, a process called engraftment. During this period, you will also receive medications to reduce the chance that your body will reject the donated stem cells, called immunosuppressants.
The immune system keeps you safe from germs, viruses, and infections — but it also can destroy cancer cells. Right now, immunotherapy works for about half of the people who try it. It usually doesn’t cure blood cancer, but it can help keep the cancer from coming back or growing.
Immunotherapy uses drugs and other treatments to encourage your own immune cells to attack the cancer. It can be used alone or in combination with other treatments.
There are many different types of immunotherapy. Some use antibodies or other man-made molecules to directly target cancer cells. Other techniques, such as cellular therapy and oncolytic virus therapy, harness your body’s own natural immune response to kill the cancer or stop it from spreading.
Some kinds of immunotherapy may need to be tested with a sample from your tumor or blood before you have the treatment. Your cancer specialist will tell you if this is the case.
One type of immunotherapy uses specialized T cells to treat certain blood cancers. These T cells are engineered to recognize the specific antigens, or proteins, on your cancer cells. They are then infused into your bloodstream to hunt and destroy the cancer cells.
For example, CAR T-cell therapy treats B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia by giving your own T cells a synthetic receptor that zeroes in on the protein CD19 that is present on those cancer cells. Other CAR therapies target different antigens on other blood cancers.
Other types of immunotherapy include vaccines, cytokines, and monoclonal antibodies. Cancer vaccines train your immune system to see and attack the cancer cells before they grow into a tumor. They may be given to you by mouth or by injection.
Cytokines are small proteins that carry messages between cells. They can stimulate your immune system to fight cancer. Monoclonal antibodies are manufactured in a lab to specifically target your cancer cells and kill them.
Immunotherapy can cause side effects like fever, chills, fatigue, aches and pains (such as muscle and joint aches), loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or a stuffy head. Most of these side effects can be managed or treated, but they may be serious if they affect your heart, lungs, or kidneys.
