What is blood cancer?

There are different types of blood cancer, including:

• leukaemia
• lymphoma
• myeloma
• myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
• myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)

They each have different symptoms, treatments and prognoses.

If you've recently been diagnosed with any type of blood cancer, order our free booklet 'Your blood cancer diagnosis - what happens now?'. It tells you the key things to know about blood cancer, including tips from other people who've been diagnosed.

If someone you love has been diagnosed, you might find our information for family and friends helpful. It covers how to support someone with blood cancer, practical tips, coping with your own emotions, and lots of real stories from other friends and family members.

You might see blood cancers described as:

• acute – this means a fast-growing cancer
• chronic – this means a slower-growing cancer

Some types of blood cancer affect children. Symptoms and treatment can be different between children and adults. We have more information about childhood leukaemia.

All blood cancers are caused by changes (mutations) in DNA within blood cells. This causes the blood cells to start behaving abnormally. In almost all cases, these changes are linked to things we can’t control. They happen during a person’s lifetime, so they are not genetic faults you can pass down to children.

Although we don’t normally know exactly why someone has developed blood cancer, there are things that we know can affect your risk:

• age
• sex
• ethnicity
• family history
• radiation or chemical exposure
• some health conditions and treatments

How these factors affect risk depends on the type of blood cancer.

Unlike some other cancers, lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise have little effect on your risk of developing blood cancer. However, a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce your risk of other types of cancer and other diseases.

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.