About blood cancer

Blood cancer is a term for a group of cancers that affect the blood cells, bone marrow or lymphatic system, where abnormal cells grow uncontrollably and interfere with normal functions such as fighting infection, delivering oxygen and clotting. Blood cancers can also spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph glands, liver, kidneys and spleen.1

There are three main types of blood cancer, which affect the blood, lymph nodes or bone marrow (the spongy tissue in bones where blood cells are made):1

  • Leukemia – cancer of the blood-forming tissues, involving the rapid overproduction of abnormal white blood cells that crowd out healthy cells
  • Lymphoma – cancers that begin in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) within the lymphatic system; the two major categories are Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Myeloma – cancer that starts in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow responsible for producing antibodies