Cancer Types | Blood Cancer - National Foundation for Cancer Research

Blood Cancer

About +
Prevention Tips +
Signs & Symptoms +
Risk Factors +
Key Facts +
NFCR Research on Blood Cancer +
Ribbon & Awareness Month +

About Blood Cancer

There are three main types of blood cancers. Leukemia is a cancer found in your blood and bone marrow, lymphoma is a blood cancer that affects the immue system and the lymphatic system, and myeloma is a blood cancer that specifically targets plasma cells (a white blood cell secreting antibodies). Each year, these types of cancer account for approximately 10% of all new cancer diagnoses.

Prevention Tips

Preventing blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma can be challenging, as many of the risk factors associated with these cancers are not easily modified or avoidable. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are very limited known ways to prevent these types of blood cancer. However, the focus can be shifted towards:

Early detection and management of the disease
A healthy lifestyle that generally reduces the risk of cancer: healthy diet, regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco, avoiding chemical and radiation exposure, etc.

Even though specific prevention measures for these blood cancers are not well-defined due to the nature of the risk factor, maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle is always recommended and helpful to avoid different types of cancers.

Resource:

Risk Factors for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia | American Cancer Society

Risk Factors for Multiple Myeloma | American Cancer Society

Risk Factors for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia | American Cancer Society

Blood Cancer Signs & Symptoms

If you have any of the symptoms below, it does not mean you have cancer but you should see your doctor or health care professional so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.

Leukemia

Feeling tired, weak, dizzy or lightheaded
Headaches
Shortness of breath
Pale skin
Bruises (or small red or purple spots) on the skin
Bleeding, such as frequent or severe nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or heavy menstrual bleeding in women
Swelling in the face, neck, arms, and upper chest (sometimes with a bluish-red color)

Weight loss; Loss of appetite
Fever; Night sweats
Swelling in the abdomen
Enlarged lymph nodes
Bone or joint pain
Infections that don’t go away or keep coming back

Lymphoma

Enlarged lymph nodes
Chills
Fatigue
Drenching night sweats
Fever without an infection
Weight loss

Chest pain or pressure
Shortness of breath or cough
Severe or frequent infections
Swollen abdomen (belly)
Feeling full after only a small meal
Easy bruising or bleeding

Myeloma

Persistent or worsening tiredness
Recurrent unexplained infections (such as pneumonia, sinus infection, or urinary tract infection)
Back pain or any bone pain that is persistent or recurrent
Swelling of the extremities

Source: American Cancer Society’s website and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website 2024

Risk Factors for Blood Cancer

Age – riskier as you get older
Sex – more common in men than in women
Family history
Race/ethnicity
- CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) is more common in North America and Europe than in Asia
- Multiple myeloma is more than twice as common in African Americans than in White Americans
Radiation and chemical exposure
Obesity

Blood Cancer Key Facts

An estimated 192,030 new cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026, with 55,830 deaths expected.
Every three minutes, one person in the U.S. is diagnosed with blood cancer.
Leukemias are the most common cancers in children and account for 25.7% of all childhood cancers.
Estimates of more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. are either living with or in remission today from blood cancer.

Source: American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society