Blood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Bood Cancer Awareness Month. As a survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, I can attest to the importance of the awareness of the early warning signs of these diseases since early detection provides a greater chance of survival. Blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma can usually be accurately diagnosed with bloodwork, therefore it’s very important we receive regular annual full body check-ups. Once detected other testing, including biopsies, are needed to confirm these diagnoses. Below are 5 important facts about blood cancers.

1. Every three minutes, one person in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer. There are 3 main types of blood cancers.

Blood cancers account for almost 10% of new cancers in the U.S. each year. Of these cases, 34% will be diagnosed with leukemia, 48% with lymphoma and 18% with myeloma.

2. Survival rates have significantly improved in the last 20 years.

Again, early detection is key. Pay attention to changes in your body and get your annual check-ups!

 3. Every 9 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a blood cancer.

 4. There are no effective screening tests for the early detection of blood cancers.

5. …But there are warning signs.

• Fever, chills
• Persistent fatigue, weakness
• Bone/joint pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Swollen lymph nodes, liver and spleen
• Anemia

You can help in the fight against blood cancers by:

GETTING YOUR REGULAR CHECK-UPS …DONATING…SPREADING THE WORD!

Follow on:

• Instagram
• WordPress