Your body is made up of trillions of tiny building blocks called cells. Cells make up every part of your body, including your blood.
The cells in your body are constantly dying and being replaced. This is how your body grows and repairs itself. Normally, cells divide (split) in a controlled way, to make new cells when needed.
DNA is a substance within your cells, which controls how cells develop, behave and die. If something goes wrong with the DNA inside a blood cell, the blood cell may not develop or work properly, not die when it should, or divide and multiply too quickly. This can lead to blood cancer.
In blood cancer, abnormal blood cells can keep multiplying. They may not be working properly and they may stop healthy blood cells from working. This can stop your blood doing the things it normally does to keep you healthy, like fighting off infections or helping to repair your body.
Blood cancers can be life-threatening, partly because they stop the immune system working properly.
When someone’s immune system is badly damaged, they can die from an infection their body could normally fight off.
There are 3 main types of Blood Cancer:
with around 140 different types in total, including acute and chronic forms; some types are very rare.
Blood Cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer death in the UK.
Signs and Symptoms
Blood cancer symptoms vary depending on the type of blood cancer, and can include unexplained weight loss, bruising and bleeding, a rash or itchy skin, extreme fatigue, drenching night sweats, lumps, bone pain and recurring infections.
Types of Blood Cancer
There are over 140 different types of blood cancer and related conditions.
Useful Contacts
Get help and support from different organisations.
