Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma

Understanding and treating a family of blood cancers.

Blood cancers are the second deadliest form of cancer.

Estimated Deaths in the U.S., 2016

• Lung & Bronchus Cancer: 158,080
• Blood Cancers: 58,320
• Colorectal Cancer: 49,190
• Pancreatic Cancer: 41,780
• Breast Cancer: 40,890

Blood cancers come in many forms and are grouped into three major types.

Leukemia

• Leukemia usually starts in bone marrow.
• It creates abnormal white blood cells that don't function correctly and crowd out other cells.
• There are 4 major types of leukemia:
  • Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
  • Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
  • Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
• These can be acute (progresses rapidly) or chronic (progresses slowly).

60,000 new cases each year

Lymphoma

• Lymphomas start in the lymphatic system, which is part of the circulatory and immune systems of the body.
• It creates abnormal white blood cells that grow and form masses and weaken the immune system.
• Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a group of related cancers that can be fast or slow growing.

81,000 new cases each year

Myeloma

• Myeloma typically starts in the bone marrow.
• It consists of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow that is responsible for antibody production.
• There are many forms, the most common being multiple myeloma.
• Patients may have no symptoms in early stages.

30,000 new cases each year

A variety of treatment options are available depending on type.

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Bone marrow transplant
• Targeted therapy
• Biological therapy

You can help. Consider donating blood at a local blood donation center or registering as a bone marrow donor through the national Be The Match registry to directly help blood cancer patients.

Source: MayoClinic.org; LLS.org; Cancer.org