What is leukaemia and the signs and the common symptoms of blood cancer that patients need to know about
Leukaemia is the fifth most common cancer in the UK 🏥
- Almost two-fifths (37%) of UK adults are unable to identify any leukaemia symptoms.
- Nearly three in 10 leukaemia patients see their GP three or more times before diagnosis
- Leukaemia UK are helping to raise awareness of common signs and symptoms.
Despite improvements across other cancers, patients with leukaemia are still facing delays getting a diagnosis.
An analysis by Leukaemia UK of the most recent data available from NHS England has found that patients often have multiple GP appointments before getting a diagnosis, and women need more appointments.
For patients with additional health conditions, the delays are even worse, with 52% of leukaemia patients with a mental health condition having more than three GP visits before a diagnosis in 2024.
Patients being diagnosed at A&E also remained dangerously high, with over half (54%) of people with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) diagnosed in emergency departments in 2022.
More worrying is the lack of awareness around symptoms, with a survey from Spot Leukaemia finding that almost two-fifths (37%) of UK adults are unable to identify any leukaemia symptoms.
What is leukaemia?
Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer, which is the fifth most common cancer in the UK and the third most common for cancer deaths. In the UK, an estimated 250,000 people are living with blood cancer, with someone being diagnosed every 16 minutes.
There are three main types of blood cancer - leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Most begin in the bone marrow, which is the spongy material inside the bones where new blood cells are produced.
What are the symptoms of leukaemia?
The signs and symptoms of leukaemia can be difficult to spot, as they can often be mistaken for those of other illnesses. Knowing what signs to recognise is important so that you can seek help and advice from your GP.
The signs and symptoms of leukaemia can include:
- fatigue
- unexplained weight loss
- bruising and bleeding easily
- swollen lymph nodes
- swollen/and or painful stomach
- infections
- night sweats
- pains in bones or joints
- shortness of breath
- skin rashes
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and are concerned that you may have blood cancer, it’s important to make an appointment with your GP to investigate this further. The faster leukaemia patients are diagnosed, the more likely they are to make a full recovery.
You can find out more information about leukaemia at Leukaemia UK.