30 Jan 2025

Research blog: New Year, New Focus: Leukaemia awareness can save lives

As we step into a new year, it’s the perfect time to prioritise our health and awareness about conditions that can often go unnoticed. Leukaemia is one such condition. It affects thousands of people annually and can develop without obvious early warning signs. Understanding the symptoms of leukaemia and why they occur can empower individuals to seek timely medical advice. Noticing symptoms early can in turn leading to early diagnosis, meaning quicker treatment which can significantly improve survival outcomes. This is why one of Leukaemia UK’s advocacy priorities is early diagnosis. 

Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. It occurs when abnormal white blood cells grow uncontrollably, interfering with the production of healthy blood cells. This imbalance impacts the body’s ability to transport oxygen, fight infections, and form clots. 

A difficulty in the diagnosis of leukaemia is that many of the symptoms can be ignored or explained away, which leads to a longer time to treatment. Leukaemia symptoms can vary depending on the type and progression of the disease, but some of the most common ones include: 

1. Fatigue and Weakness
   Leukaemia often leads to a shortage of red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. This condition, known as anaemia, can cause persistent fatigue and weakness. Without sufficient oxygen, your muscles and organs cannot function efficiently, leaving you feeling drained. (1)
2. Shortness of Breath
   Reduced red blood cells mean less oxygen reaches your tissues, which can cause breathlessness, even with minimal physical exertion.(2 )
3. Frequent Infections
   White blood cells are crucial for fighting infections. In leukaemia, abnormal white blood cells crowd out healthy ones, weakening the immune system. As a result, individuals may experience recurring or severe infections that are difficult to recover from.(3)
4. Bruising and Bleeding
   Platelets help the blood clot to stop bleeding. When leukaemia affects platelet production, individuals may notice easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, or prolonged bleeding from minor cuts.(4)
5. Bone and Joint Pain
   Leukaemia cells can accumulate in the bone marrow, causing it to expand and exert pressure, leading to pain in bones or joints.(5)
6. Swollen Lymph Nodes
   Painless swelling of lymph nodes, especially in the neck, underarms, or groin, may be a sign of leukaemia as abnormal cells accumulate in these areas. Particularly in types like chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), malignant cells can accumulate in lymph nodes, leading to their swelling—a condition known as lymphadenopathy. This occurs because leukaemic cells migrate to and proliferate within the lymph nodes, causing them to enlarge.(6)
7. Unexplained Weight Loss
   Rapid and unintentional weight loss can occur as the body’s metabolism is disrupted by cancer cells, which consume more energy and impair normal functions.(7)
8. Night Sweats and Fever
   Leukaemia may cause fevers and night sweats as the body’s immune system is impacted by the cancerous cells but still attempting to fight infections.(8) The body natural increases its temperature to fight infection causing fever and night sweats. 

While these symptoms can result from various conditions aside from leukaemia, it’s crucial to consult a healthcare professional if you or a loved one experience them—particularly if they persist or worsen.  

Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve outcomes in leukaemia. Asking for a full blood count (FBC) test can help to identify or rule out leukaemia. The current guidelines recommend GPs to organise a full blood count within 48 hours of anyone presenting with any leukaemia symptoms. Far too often this does not happen. A Leukaemia UK survey found that only a third of patients who survived received a full blood count within this timeframe. This is why we at Leukaemia UK working to ensure that everyone presenting with leukaemia symptoms has a full blood count test within 48 hours.   

At Leukaemia UK, we are committed to saving and improving more lives affected by leukaemia.  We have published a policy report which urges the Government to take action to save lives by outlining our policy recommendations to stop leukaemia devastating lives.  Our key priorities include developing kinder, more effective treatments, improving early diagnosis pathways, ensuring access to the best treatments for every patient, and providing comprehensive, holistic needs assessments from diagnosis through treatment and into recovery. 

Awareness is the first step toward driving these changes, which is why Leukaemia UK is starting the new year with a Parliamentary Drop-In event to raise awareness of the issues faced by those affected by leukaemia, and how the recommendations in our report would address these.

Together, we can save lives. By raising awareness, ensuring timely testing, and advocating for better care, we can stop leukaemia from devastating lives. Join Leukaemia UK in making early diagnosis and improved treatments a priority this year.

Discover our research blogs.

References:

(1) – Littlewood T, Mandelli F. The effects of anemia in hematologic malignancies: more than a symptom. Semin Oncol. 2002 Jun;29(3 Suppl 8):40-4. doi: 10.1053/sonc.2002.33532. PMID: 12082653.

(2) – Stahl M, Tallman MS. Differentiation syndrome in acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 2019 Oct;187(2):157-162. doi: 10.1111/bjh.16151. Epub 2019 Aug 13. PMID: 31410848. 

(3) – Perry JM. Immune System Influence on Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Leukemia Development. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2023;1442:125-135. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-7471-9_8. PMID: 38228962. 

(4) – Patel, A. P., et al. (2020). “Platelet dysfunction in leukemia: Clinical implications and management strategies.” Blood Advances, 4(9), 1797-1808. https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002614 

(5) – Sakata H, Nakao A, Matsuda K, Yoshie N, Yamada T, Osako T, Iwano M, Kotani J. Acute leukemia presenting as bone pain with normal white blood cell count. Acute Med Surg. 2014 May 19;1(4):249. doi: 10.1002/ams2.46. PMID: 29930859; PMCID: PMC5997232. 

(6) – Paggetti J, Haderk F, Seiffert M, Janji B, Distler U, Ammerlaan W, Kim YJ, Adam J, Lichter P, Solary E, Berchem G, Moussay E. Exosomes released by chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells induce the transition of stromal cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts. Blood. 2015 Aug 27;126(9):1106-17. doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-12-618025. Epub 2015 Jun 22. PMID: 26100252; PMCID: PMC4560344. 

(7) – Yuen EYN, Zaleta AK, McManus S, Buzaglo JS, LeBlanc TW, Hamilton K, Stein K. Unintentional weight loss, its associated burden, and perceived weight status in people with cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2020 Jan;28(1):329-339. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-04797-y. Epub 2019 May 2. Erratum in: Support Care Cancer. 2022 Sep;30(9):7813. doi: 10.1007/s00520-022-07202-3. PMID: 31049669; PMCID: PMC9203385. 

(8) – Clarke RT, Van den Bruel A, Bankhead C, Mitchell CD, Phillips B, Thompson MJ. Clinical presentation of childhood leukaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Dis Child. 2016 Oct;101(10):894-901. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2016-311251. PMID: 27647842.