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Blood Cancer Warning Signs Often Overlap With Common Illnesses
Blood cancers start in the tissues that make blood or in immune-system cells.
The main types include leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Their early warning signs can look like common infections or tiredness.
Possible signs include ongoing fever, unusual tiredness, repeated infections, bruising, bleeding, or weight loss.
Some people may also have swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, bone pain, or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen.
Having one of these symptoms does not mean a person has cancer.
Symptoms that persist, return, worsen, or happen together should be discussed with a doctor.
Doctors can use blood tests and other examinations to find the actual cause.
Persistent fatigue, fever, infections, bruising, bleeding, or unexplained weight loss may warrant medical evaluation.
Painless, persistent swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, and abdominal fullness can occur with some blood cancers.
Persistent bone or back pain is associated particularly with multiple myeloma, which can weaken bones.
Blood cancer symptoms are nonspecific, and most people with these symptoms will not necessarily have cancer.
Doctors may use a medical history, examination, blood tests, imaging, biopsies, and bone-marrow testing to investigate symptoms.
- Who
- People experiencing persistent, unexplained, recurring, or worsening symptoms associated with blood cancers, and the doctors evaluating them.
- What
- The article explains warning signs of leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma and describes how they may be investigated.
- Where
- The article discusses blood cancer in the context of India and cites Indian cancer-burden estimates.
- When
- Medical evaluation is advised when symptoms persist, recur, worsen, occur together, or cannot be explained by a routine illness.
- Why
- Early symptoms can resemble common illnesses, so awareness may help ensure unusual symptoms are investigated rather than ignored.
Key facts
- Main blood cancers
- Leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma
- Possible warning signs
- Persistent fever, fatigue, recurrent infections, unusual bruising or bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, weight loss, bone pain, and abdominal fullness
- India burden estimate
- Leukaemia accounted for 81.6 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 people in 2021, according to an ICMR-NCDIR analysis published in BMC Cancer.
- Lymphoma and myeloma estimate
- Lymphoma and multiple myeloma together accounted for 55.7 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 people in 2021 in the cited analysis.
- Initial evaluation
- Doctors may begin with a medical history, physical examination, complete blood count, and sometimes a peripheral blood smear.
- Further testing
- Depending on findings, evaluation may include flow cytometry, genetic or chromosome testing, imaging, lymph-node biopsy, or bone-marrow examination.
Quotes
Dr Pawan Kumar Singh
Vice Chairman, BMT, ShardaCare - Healthcity
“Blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, can often be difficult to recognise in their early stages because their symptoms may resemble common infections, nutritional deficiencies or general fatigue.”
NDTV
“Recognising potential warning signs and seeking medical advice early can help ensure that serious conditions are investigated promptly and appropriate treatment is started when needed.”
NDTV
Sources
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