People are being encouraged to familiarise themselves with the four primary symptoms of leukaemia, a highly lethal form of cancer. Leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, claims more lives than prostate and breast cancer combined.
Tragically, it affects individuals of all ages and has a survival rate of just 50 percent. The most common signs include fatigue, bruising, unusual bleeding, and recurrent infections.
However, a survey conducted last year by Leukaemia UK and Leukaemia Care revealed that nearly half of people (48 percent) couldn’t identify a single symptom. The charities strongly advise anyone who is worried about any of these symptoms to contact their GP and request a blood test.
The two organisations aim to raise awareness about the disease’s symptoms, which is often diagnosed too late and results in 5,000 deaths annually in the UK. Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third deadliest.
The six most common symptoms experienced by all leukemia patients prior to diagnosis. These are:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Fever or night sweats
- Bruising or bleeding
- Bone/joint pain
- Repeated infections
Repeat infections are one of the most common leukaemia symptoms, but only nine per cent of respondents were aware of this, according to a recent public survey. Fatigue is often the first symptom identified by those later diagnosed with leukaemia, yet 39 per cent of people failed to recognise this sign.
Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Acute leukaemia progresses rapidly and typically requires immediate treatment.
There are various types of the disease, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Leukaemia UK has provided a list of signs and symptoms of the disease.
According to Leukaemia Care the most likely symptoms differ with age. The group said: “There are four main types of leukemia that differ by the rate of cancer progression (acute or chronic) and the type of blood stem cell affected (myeloid or lymphoid). Certain leukaemia types are more common at different ages. This means the symptoms most frequently experienced by people of different ages prior to diagnosis can vary.”
Symptoms by age:
Childhood (below 16 years)
Likely symptoms: Stomach pain, fatigue, bruising or bleeding, repeated infections, joint or bone pain, fever.
16 to 24-year olds
Fatigue, bruising or bleeding, headaches, feeling weak or breathless, fever, joint or bone pain.
25 to 49-year olds
Fatigue, bruising or bleeding, repeated infections, feeling weak or breathless, fever, joint or bone pain.
50 to 64-year olds
Fatigue, bruising or bleeding, repeated infections, feeling weak or breathless, fever, joint or bone pain.
65 and over
Fatigue, bruising or bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, feeling weak or breathless, fever, weight loss.
For more information visit: https://www.leukaemiacare.org.uk/