
- Approximately every 4 minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a type of blood cancer.
- There are three main types of blood cancers:
- Leukemia: cancer that is found in your blood and bone marrow, which is caused by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells.
- Lymphoma: blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which removes excess fluids from your body and produces immune cells. Overtime these cancerous cells impair your immune system.
- Myeloma: blood cancer that specifically targets your plasma cells. Plasma cells are white blood cells that produce disease and infection-fighting antibodies.
- Over 1 million Americans are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
- Leukemia is the 10th most frequently occurring type of cancer in all races or ethnicities.
- There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin.
- Hodgkin lymphoma spreads in an orderly manner from one group of lymph nodes to another.
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma spreads through the lymphatic system in a non-orderly manner.
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is the seventh most common cancer in males and females in the U.S.
- Approximately every 10 minutes, someone in the US dies from a blood cancer.
- Leukemia causes almost one-third of all cancer deaths in children under the age 15.
- Age is the most significant risk factor for developing myeloma. People under 45 rarely develop the disease, while those ages 67 or older are at greatest risk.
- About 31 percent more males are living with leukemia than females. And more males than females are diagnosed with leukemia and die from it.
- The 5-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia is about 10 percent lower for African-Americans than whites.
Organize a meal program for cancer patients. GO [1]
Sources: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society [2], Leukemia Research Foundation [3], CDC [4], National Marrow Donor Program [5]
Cancer [7]