BLOOD cancer research charity, Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK (LMRUK), is on a mission to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of blood cancer. The charity provides detailed information on the types of cancers and treatments to patients and their families as well as sharing blood cancer facts and statistics. 

Did you know?

Blood cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the UK with over 100 different variants affecting almost 250,000 patients in the country. 

Blood cancers develop from the mutations of different types of white blood cells found in our blood, bone marrow and lymphatic system (a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins). When a problem develops with white blood cells, blood cancers can occur. 

The most common symptoms include fatigue, fevers and sweats, easy bruising or bleeding, and swollen lymph glands in the neck, armpit or groin, plus others. It is usually diagnosed by a combination of blood tests and biopsies of the bone marrow and lymph glands. 

Treatments for blood cancer vary depending on the type of cancer diagnosed. The most common treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted molecular therapies, and stem cell transplants. 

To learn more about blood cancer, please visit: lmruk.org/2021/07/27/what-is-blood-cancer/. 

Each year through the charity’s research grant scheme, they invest in specialist novel research into different blood cancer treatments. 

In 2021, the charity invested in two trailblazing research projects, one of which examined how the accumulation of mutated proteins in certain blood cancer cells allow them to multiple repeatedly, and the other project researched the cell signalling abnormalities in leukaemia cells.

LMRUK also offers parents the opportunity to bank their newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use through its Model Cell Biobank service with funding support offered to eligible families. 

For more information about LMRUK, the research grant scheme, or the Model Cell Biobank service, please visit: https://lmruk.org/.