Did You Know?
According to Worldwide Cancer Research, an organization that helps to supply funding to pioneering cancer research, blood cancers are the fifth most common types of cancers across the globe. The American Society of Hematology notes that blood cancers affect the production and function of blood cells. When a person is diagnosed with blood cancer, oftentimes his or her normal blood cell development process is interrupted by the uncontrolled growth of an abnormal type of blood cell. The ASH reports that leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are the three main types of blood cancers. Leukemia is marked by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that fights infection. Lymphoma occurs when abnormal lymphocytes become lymphoma cells and multiply in the lymph nodes and other tissues. Over time, lymphoma cells impair the immune system, making individuals vulnerable to infections and other adverse health outcomes. Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which the ASH notes are typically responsible for producing disease- and infection-fighting antibodies. Myeloma prevents the normal production of those antibodies, leaving patients vulnerable to infection.
