Blood cancer and young adults
For young adults with leukaemia, lymphoma or any type of blood cancer: this is your guide to coping with treatment, side effects, emotions and mental health, friends and your social life, and work or studying. You can also find out how other young people got through it.
Coping with the shock of diagnosis
It's a huge shock to find out you have blood cancer. Here's some information and support which may be helpful in those early days.
Treatment centres and your team
Find out more about treatment centres for young adults, and who will be treating you.
Treatment side effects
Treatment can affect your body in different ways. Find out what to expect, and hear from two young people about their own experience.
How to cope with feelings and emotions
Read our tips from other young adults about how to look after your mental health and manage the emotional impact of blood cancer.
Friends and your social life
Here are some suggestions on how you can stay connected to your friends and enjoy your social life when you have blood cancer.
Study, university and work
Discover more about your rights when working or studying with blood cancer, and find out where to go to get help and support.
Last review August 2025. Next review due August 2028. We may make factual updates to the information between reviews.
We would like to thank Clinical Nurse Specialist Kerry Baker for checking the clinical accuracy of the information on these pages. Thank you also to all the young people who helped with this information and shared their insight and experiences.