AROUND a third (32 per cent) of the British public know that lymphoma and / or myeloma are common types of blood cancers – with some mistakenly thinking that melanoma (16 per cent) and haemophilia (11 per cent) are blood cancer types.
Furthermore, over one in three (38 per cent) blood cancer patients admit that they had never heard of their specific type of cancer before diagnosis.
These are the results of two surveys announced to coincide with the launch of Make Blood Cancer Visible – a campaign that sees Janssen and nine blood cancer patient support groups join forces for the first time, to bring much-needed attention to blood cancer across the UK during September, blood cancer awareness month.
According to the Make Blood Cancer Visible public survey implemented by YouGov and funded by Janssen, only one in ten people are aware that there are over 100 different types of blood cancers, and only 12 per cent of people selected blood cancer as one of the top five most commonly diagnosed types of cancer. Worryingly, 30 per cent incorrectly thought that vomiting, nausea, double vision and / or headaches were the most common warning signs of blood cancer. Similarly, the Leukaemia CARE patient survey, reveals that before diagnosis, a staggering 80 per cent of those surveyed did not think their symptoms would turn out to be blood cancer. In addition, 38 per cent admitted that they had never heard of their specific type of blood cancer before their diagnosis, and knew nothing about it.
Diana Jupp, Chief Executive, Bloodwise said, “Despite 230,000 people being affected by blood cancer across the UK, it is still a much-misunderstood and little-known disease area. We know that low awareness can lead to late diagnosis and can make it hard for people to find the information and support they need, leading to a greater sense of isolation. We are therefore delighted to be a part of this exciting campaign helping to raise awareness of blood cancer throughout this September and it’s great to see so many patient support groups join forces to all do their bit to make blood cancer visible.”
