FAQs - Supporters
You may have seen our recent campaign highlighting the need to improve the outcomes for people with the deadliest blood cancers. Below you can find some answers to common questions we thought people might have.
If you need support, you can call us for free on 0808 2080 888 (Option 1) to speak to one of our Support Service Nurses or you can email us at [email protected] or complete a webform and we'll aim to get back to you within two working days.
Frequently asked questions:
What are the deadliest blood cancers?
We define the deadliest blood cancers as blood cancer diagnoses where the 5-year survival rate is below 50%. This includes cancers where outcomes are poor across the entire disease, such as AML, CMML, MDS and adult ALL, as well as recognised high-risk subtypes and patient groups with similarly poor outcomes, including high-risk myeloma and older people diagnosed with certain blood cancers.
How have you calculated that 1 in 3 people survive the deadliest blood cancers?
The statistic is based on analysing survival data for blood cancers where the 5-year survival rate is below 50%. This includes cancers where outcomes are poor across the entire disease, such as AML, CMML, MDS and adult ALL, as well as recognised high-risk subtypes and patient groups with similarly poor outcomes, including high-risk myeloma and older people diagnosed with certain blood cancers. Using all this data, we estimate 5-year survival for these groups to be 1 in 3.
What are you doing for the deadliest blood cancers that you aren’t funding as part of this appeal?
Blood Cancer UK is committed to funding research across all blood cancers. Our core funding schemes represent our sustained investment in research to bring forward the day where no one dies from blood cancer or its treatments, including the deadliest blood cancers that are not being funded as part of this appeal.
These funding schemes fund blood cancer research that addresses the priorities of our Research Strategy. By funding research across the research pipeline, better and kinder treatments can be developed for the deadliest blood cancers and be tested in trials in the future. We are also supporting and developing the talented blood cancer researchers who will keep working to improve outcomes for these diseases.
Why are you comparing blood cancer survival with breast and prostate cancer?
Research has transformed survival for many cancers. By highlighting the progress made in better known cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, we are showing what sustained investment and innovative clinical trials can achieve and the scale of progress that is still needed for the deadliest blood cancers.
We recognise that survival varies significantly within every cancer type, and some people with breast or prostate cancer still face very poor outcomes. The comparison is not intended to minimise anyone’s experience or suggest that one cancer matters more than another.
We want people with the deadliest blood cancers to benefit from the same kind of progress that research has helped make possible elsewhere.
Does this mean I've only got a 1 in 3 chance of surviving blood cancer?
Any information you find out about the prognosis (outlook) for a particular disease will be based on what happened to a large group of people over a particular period of time, so it can only give you a general picture. Even if two people have the same condition, their prognosis may be different.
It’s best to ask your healthcare team about your own prognosis, if you want to know more. We have more information on prognosis here: Blood Cancer UK | Blood cancer prognosis