BLOG: September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month

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