This booklet provides information about blood transfusion for patients with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma (blood cancers) and their families. We welcome your comments on the booklet.

Each year, more than15 million units of whole blood are collected and nearly five million patients are transfused with blood components in the United States. (Source: The National Blood Data Resource Center 2001, the most recent year for which data are available.) On average, each unit is divided into three different components: red cells, platelets and plasma. Most of the red cells are transfused to patients undergoing surgical procedures. However, patients with blood cancers frequently receive platelets and some red cells. They may require more blood components overall than surgical patients because their need is likely to continue over a number of weeks or longer. In addition, most patients who undergo marrow or blood stem cell transplantation will be transfused.