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