The signs and symptoms of blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative diseases) may be similar to the those of other more common and less severe conditions.

If you are concerned because you or a loved one is feeling a loss of well-being or experiencing other troubling symptoms, such as persistent low-grade fever, unexplained weight loss, tiredness or shortness of breath, the best thing to do is see a healthcare provider.

For example, if one or more of your blood cell counts is higher or lower than normal, your physician will try to determine the reason(s). About 5 percent of healthy people will have test results that are outside of the expected range for a given test. Also, several noncancerous conditions may cause blood cell counts to be higher or lower than expected.

Please contact us if you have questions about a blood cancer. You can reach our Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572 or at infocenter@LLS.org. Our information specialists -  master's level oncology professionals - are here Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET to speak with you or chat online.

For general information about each blood cancer's signs and symptoms please see: