Accountable Healthcare - Blood Cancer Awareness Month: What It Is and Why It Matters

September 1, 2025

Blood Cancer Awareness Month: What It Is and Why It Matters

Every September, the global community observes Blood Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shining a spotlight on cancers of the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic systems. These include leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. The goal is to educate the public on symptoms, risk factors, and treatments while emphasizing the urgent need for early detection, continued research, and strong advocacy.

Blood cancers remain one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Awareness is not only about treatment, but also about improving survival rates through earlier diagnosis and increased funding for research.

Why Awareness Is Crucial

Early Diagnosis Saves Lives
The early symptoms of blood cancers are often subtle or mistaken for other conditions. Fatigue, frequent infections, or unexplained weight loss may not immediately raise alarm, yet these are potential warning signs of a serious disease. Awareness helps both patients and clinicians recognize these red flags sooner, and earlier intervention can dramatically improve treatment outcomes.

Low Public Awareness Is a Global Issue
Studies continue to show that knowledge about blood cancers is limited. For example, a recent survey in Saudi Arabia found that only 13.4 percent of participants had strong knowledge about leukemia and its types. Globally, a lack of understanding contributes to delays in seeking medical help and leads to poorer prognosis.

Reducing Disparities in Care
Awareness is also a matter of health equity. Multiple myeloma affects African Americans nearly twice as often as White Americans. Despite this, survival rates for African Americans have not improved at the same pace, largely due to gaps in access to treatment, limited participation in clinical trials, and reduced awareness of the disease. Focused outreach and education can help close this gap.

Research and Breakthrough Campaigns

Blood Cancer United: A Legacy of Impact
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, now renamed Blood Cancer United, has invested more than 1.6 billion dollars into blood cancer research and patient support services. It was also the first nonprofit to sponsor a precision medicine clinical trial. The Beat AML Master Clinical Trial identifies targeted therapies based on a patient’s genetics, representing a groundbreaking step toward personalized treatment.

Immunotherapy and CAR T-Cell Advances
Immunotherapy has revolutionized blood cancer treatment, especially through CAR T-cell therapy. This innovation re-engineers a patient’s own T-cells to attack cancer cells, offering life-saving options for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Researchers are now exploring CAR T-cell therapy as an earlier treatment option, potentially expanding its benefits to even more patients.

Project Michelle: Awareness in Action
The story of Michelle Maykin, who battled acute myeloid leukemia, shows how awareness can lead to real-world change. She founded Project Michelle, a grassroots campaign designed to increase bone marrow donor registrations, particularly in the Asian American community. As of mid-2023, the project had registered more than 18,000 new donors and facilitated 62 actual donations, proving how advocacy can directly save lives.

World Lymphoma Awareness Day
Each year on September 15, World Lymphoma Awareness Day raises visibility for one of the most common yet least understood blood cancers. Surveys show that 67 percent of people worldwide did not know lymphoma is a type of cancer. Additionally, 90 percent of respondents believed not enough research was being done. This campaign highlights why awareness is not optional, but essential.

The Bottom Line

Awareness matters. It drives early detection, fuels groundbreaking research, and helps reduce health disparities. Through organizations like Blood Cancer United, advances in therapies like CAR T-cell treatment, and grassroots campaigns such as Project Michelle, progress is being made. At the same time, events like World Lymphoma Awareness Day remind us how much work remains.

Blood Cancer Awareness Month is not simply a time to reflect. It is a call to action, one that pushes us closer to earlier diagnoses, better treatments, and, ultimately, more lives saved.

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