Many Australians unaware of blood cancer symptoms, research finds

SBS Australia

09-05-2025

Can you name a single blood cancer symptom? That's a question being asked by the Leukaemia Foundation, which says its own research reveals that 4 out of 5 Australians cannot name a single symptom. Bill Stavreski, the head of research at Leukaemia Foundation, says there are seven symptoms to look out for. "That includes recurrent infections, increased fatigue, pain in bones and joints, excessive night sweats and enlarged lymph nodes. So generally, around the neck and groin region. One of the other symptoms is unexplained weight loss. So if you are losing weight but not changing your diet, not exercising, but you are seeing it on the scale; then that is a tell-table sign of a possible blood cancer." The Foundation says there has been a 79 per cent jump in the incidence of blood cancer in the past 20 years. Blood cancer impacts all age groups including children, teenagers and adults. Proud Brinja-Yuin woman Kerry Boyenga is an author and teacher of the Indigenous language, Dhurga. She was diagnosed with the blood cancer non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017 and thankfully survived her diagnosis. Her main symptom was a tumour in the left-hand side of her neck which grew to be the size of a tennis ball. Doctors put it down to a side effect of an existing autoimmune illness that Kerry had - which initially delayed her diagnosis. "I first noticed something was wrong in December of 2016. It wasn't until June 2017 that it was actually diagnosed. It was quite some time before anybody did take it seriously. I completely understand that. Yes, I had this disorder and I am getting swollen glands. Because I have had it for as long as I've had it, but I've never had one that had grown to the size that it was. And it was really quite frightening and it's horrendous to look at it. When I look at it now, I look at the photos and I think: 'oh my God, was that really me?' So it was stage two by the time I was diagnosed." Despite being in remission, Kerry still lives with the physical, psychological, and financial impacts of her diagnosis. Kerry has had vision issues in her left eye, cardiac issues, and a type of shingles, which has meant she's had to reduce her workload. Despite all of this, she feels incredibly grateful for the support shown to her from family, friends and her local community. "I think that's because of the support that I had with my family, my husband, most importantly, and my son. But my colleagues, I worked in a Catholic school at the time. They cooked all of our meals because I'd gone from 90 kilos down to 63, I think I was. So I couldn't do anything and I certainly wasn't eating. And I think that all had to do with the beautiful people that were in my life. It was just beautiful. It just shows in these sort of hard times that people can be really beautiful and caring." While screening programs have improved dramatically for cancers like bowel, skin, breast and prostate; there is no standard screening process for detecting blood cancer. Bill Stavreski says blood tests are often the first clinical indication that something is wrong. "When you go to your GP and ask for a blood test, a full blood count should be able to provide an indication if there is anything wrong. So that might be looking at red cells or white cells - either they're too low or they're too high. So that should be an indication that it could possibly be blood cancer." Professor Ian Olver is a cancer researcher at the University of Adelaide. He says there have been great developments in the treatment of many cancers, with immunotherapy showing positive results. "Well, certainly with childhood (cancers), leukaemia treatments have done incredibly well over the last few years. Not quite so well with adults. But we're starting to improve the treatments, particularly as we're starting to introduce immunotherapy with our chemotherapy. So I think we can be optimistic that as the years go by, there is potential to cure these diseases will be greater. Or at least control them, so someone can have a normal lifespan." The good news is like many cancers, the sooner someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, the greater their chances of surviving the disease. "It's important to take action quickly and go see your doctor. Delaying seeing your doctor will mean delaying diagnosis (and) delaying treatment. And unfortunately, if there is a delay in diagnosis, survival rates, positive outcomes really are reduced." Kerry has been in remission for years now. And she says she is doing all the right things to keep on top of her health. "I have been in remission for seven-and-a-half years. So I am heading into my eighth year. And it can come back. It may not. I am just really grateful that here I am; and I've still got an extra right years when it could have been over sooner, you know?."