Blood cancer awareness

We're working with our colleagues in the haematology and transplant unit to help raise awareness of blood cancer. We're also highlighting the support we offer to patients with a blood cancer at The Christie.

Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Blood cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. Over 40,000 people are diagnosed with a blood cancer each year in the UK, and over 250,000 people are currently living with a blood cancer.

What causes blood cancer?

All blood cancers are caused by changes in DNA within blood cells. This causes the blood cells to start behaving abnormally. In almost all cases, these changes are linked to things we can’t control.

Types of blood cancer

There are various types of blood cancers:

• Leukaemia is found in the blood and bone marrow, usually white blood cell
• Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cell called lymphocytes
• Myeloma is cancer that affects white blood cells called plasma cells

Other types of blood disorders include myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), polycythaemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myelofibrosis.

These conditions are where the bone marrow doesn’t work properly and causes abnormalities in the production of blood cells.