What Are the Symptoms of Blood Cancer?

Leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are three forms of blood cancers caused by mutations to DNA that lead to abnormal cell division and development in your blood cells. They typically start in your bone marrow (which produces blood) or lymphatic system (which regulates fluid levels).

Symptoms of blood cancer depend on its type and location in your body. You could experience unexplained weight loss, low levels of red blood cells or platelets (which help blood clot), fatigue, and itchy skin; you could also develop painful lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, or groin that swell without notice.

Blood cancers can be difficult to spot early, as many of their initial symptoms overlap with those associated with other conditions. If any symptoms last more than a couple weeks and persist after being seen by your physician, seeking diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible can help ensure you receive appropriate care and treatments for yourself.

Your healthcare provider can identify blood cancers through a simple blood test, physical exam, and imaging tests like CT or MRI scans. These scans utilize powerful magnetic and radio waves to produce detailed images of organs, blood vessels, and bones within your body.

Doctors use staging as an accurate measure for some blood cancers; other cancers require different approaches or a different set of measurements altogether. With cancers like this one, physicians will measure its size and how far it has spread using staging; other cancers, however, might require looking for specific signs or using different staging techniques altogether.