Warning signs of blood cancer
So, what are the early warning signs of the three main blood cancers: leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma?
Leukaemia
Although there are different types of leukaemia, they can all begin with flu-like symptoms such as a fever, night sweats and fatigue. But if these last longer than you’d expect, you should contact your GP (or dial 111 – the urgent medical helpline in the UK), particularly if you also have:
- A loss of appetite or sudden weight loss
- Bone or joint pain
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Frequent infections
- Bruising or heavy bleeding
Lymphoma
There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Each has a slightly different set of symptoms:
Hodgkin lymphoma
- A lump under the skin. It’s usually, but not always, in the neck or above the collar bone, in the armpit, or groin (due to enlarged lymph nodes or glands)
- Fever (but no infection) and night sweats – a B symptom
- A loss of appetite and sudden unexplained weight loss – a B symptom
- Tiredness – a B symptom
- Itchy skin – either widespread or limited to one spot
- Possibly some chest pain and accompanying breathing difficulties and coughing. This can be caused by a deeper swelling
The B symptoms, and whether you have these or not, influence the type of treatment that’s right for you.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Swollen (but painless) lymph nodes (glands)
- Fever and sweating
- Weight loss
- Extreme tiredness
- Swollen tummy
- Chest pain or pressure
- Shortness of breath
Again, if you’re worried about your symptoms, you should contact your GP (or dial 111 – the urgent medical helpline in the UK).
Myeloma
The most common symptoms of myeloma include:
- Pain
- Unexplained broken bones in your back, rib cage or hips
- Extreme tiredness
- Infections that happen repeatedly
- Nerve damage to your hands and feet causing a loss of dexterity; ‘pins and needles’; numbness; muscle cramps; weakness or tremor; and pain