The three main types of blood cancer include lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. Blood cancer causes abnormal cell growth in either the bone marrow or lymphatic system, affecting your immune system and your body's ability to produce blood. Traditional cancer treatments of chemotherapy and radiation as well as bone marrow transplants are often used to fight blood cancer, and survival rates are increasing with the increased use and effectiveness of these treatment methods.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is essentially cancer of the lymph system, and the two sub-types are Hodgkin's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is the more common of the two. The distinction is made by the types of cells affected by the cancer. The Mayo Clinic states that lymphoma causes cells to grow abnormally in the lymphatic system, and possibly spread beyond it. This type of blood cancer greatly compromises your immune system's ability to fight disease.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma causes lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell, to develop tumors in the lymph system, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are also sub-types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the two most popular being follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. InteliHealth cites persistent swollen lymph nodes, when an infection is not present, as a sign of lymphoma.
Leukemia
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects both the bone marrow and lymphatic tissues---essentially the parts of the body responsible for forming blood. There are several different types of leukemia that doctors are aware of, and some are more common in children than adults and vice versa. This blood cancer begins in the leukocytes, or white blood cells. It causes the bone marrow to make abnormal white blood cells which do not protect the body from infection as they should, according to Mayo Clinic. Patients may or may not experience swollen lymph nodes with leukemia.
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that originates in the plasma cells. These are found in your bone marrow and considered a type of white blood cell. The purpose of these cells is to produce antibodies that help you to fight off infection and disease. This cancer causes abnormal plasma cells to multiply, causing an imbalance in the levels of plasma cells in the blood as well as the antibodies they produce, according to Mayo Clinic. Most patients with multiple myeloma do not experience swollen lymph nodes unless an infection is present.
