While some blood disorders are inherited, some tend to develop later in life, and this could be due to infections, autoimmune diseases, medications or cancers. Image used for representational purposes only
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Most of us tend to associate blood disorders with conditions such as anaemia or clotting problems. But some blood abnormalities may be the first symptoms of an underlying cancer, a cancer that originates from blood and bone marrow. Additionally, some blood disorders can arise out of autoimmune diseases, and these diseases and cancer share a rather complex relationship, wherein one can sometimes increase the risk of the other.Cancer rates are increasing around the world, and this makes understanding the connection between blood disorders, autoimmune blood diseases have and cancer, important. Early recognition of warning signs can significantly improve outcomes, and in many cases, saves lives.Understanding blood disordersBlood disorders are conditions that affect one or more components of the blood such as the red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells which fight infections, platelets that help with the clotting of blood, and plasma, the liquid component of blood.While some blood disorders are inherited, some tend to develop later in life, and this could be due to infections, autoimmune diseases, medications or cancers.Unlike the solid tumours that develop in organs such as the colon, breast or lungs, blood cancers originate in the bone marrow, and the lymphatic system. The major types of blood cancers include leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes.Autoimmune diseases-cancer linkThe major link between autoimmune diseases and cancer is that certain autoimmune disorders increase the risk of developing blood cancers such as lymphoma. There are several factors that contribute to this:
