Blood cancer
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
Know the symptoms.
What is blood cancer? How common is it?
Blood cancer is an umbrella term for cancers of the blood, bone marrow and/or lymphoid tissues.
The three most common types of blood cancer are:
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Multiple myeloma
- Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)
Together, these conditions make blood cancer the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in Australia and the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer.1
Do you know the symptoms?
Most Australians aren’t confident they can recognise the signs of blood cancer.2 Early detection and treatment saves lives.
Download our Blood cancers symptoms checklist (PDF 528KB) to know the symptoms.
Who can help?
The Epworth Centre for Immunotherapies and Snowdome Laboratories is a centre of excellence in the treatment of blood cancers.
If you're worried about any of these symptoms, speak to your general practitioner (GP). They can investigate and, if recommended, refer you to a specialist haematologist at one of our convenient Epworth locations in East Melbourne, Richmond, Box Hill or Geelong.
- Know the tests used to diagnose blood cancers
- Download our Blood Cancer Patient Guide
- Learn about blood cancer care at Epworth
1. [This] is Blood Cancer research findings, Leukaemia Foundation, survey, 2021. Available: https://www.leukaemia.org.au/media/this-is-blood-cancer-research-findings/
2. State of the Nation: Blood cancers in Australia report 2023, Final report to Leukaemia Foundation, February 2023, Insight Economics, Accessed 14 August 2023, https://www.leukaemia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Leukaemia-Foundation_Final-Report_State-of-the-Nation-Blood-Cancers-in-Australia-Report-2023.pdf
3. Symptom source: Blood Cancer Research UK