Blood Cancer in the United States 2026
Blood cancer statistics in US show a group of diseases that, combined, will affect nearly 200,000 Americans this year alone. According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2026, leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma together account for roughly 9% of all new cancer diagnoses and cancer deaths nationwide, with someone in the United States diagnosed with a blood cancer approximately every three minutes. Encouragingly, survival has improved dramatically for several blood cancer types over the past 50 years, with leukemia’s five-year relative survival rate more than doubling since the mid-1970s.
This article compiles verified blood cancer statistics in US 2026 from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2026, the National Cancer Institute’s SEER Program, and Blood Cancer United. It covers leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma individually, their symptoms, current treatment approaches, survival trends, and the specific populations most affected by each disease, giving a complete, data-backed picture of blood cancer in America this year.
Interesting Facts About Blood Cancer in US 2026
| Interesting Fact | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Combined new blood cancer cases expected (2025 est.) | 192,070 |
| Share of all new US cancer cases | 9.4% |
| Combined blood cancer deaths expected (2025 est.) | 56,110 |
| Share of all US cancer deaths | 9.1% |
| People currently living with/in remission from blood cancers | 1,759,461 |
| Frequency of new US blood cancer diagnosis | Every ~3 minutes |
| Leukemia 5-year survival, 1975-1977 vs. 2014-2020 | 34% to 70% |
| Myeloma 5-year survival, mid-1990s vs. 2015-2021 | 32% to 62% |
| Chronic myeloid leukemia 5-year survival, 1970s vs. 2015-2021 | 22% to 70% |
Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026; Blood Cancer United, 2025-26
As a blood cancer statistics in US 2026 starting point, these figures reveal both the scale of the challenge and the substantial medical progress made against it. With 192,070 combined new cases expected and 56,110 deaths, blood cancers — leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma — represent roughly 1 in 11 new cancer diagnoses and a similar share of cancer deaths nationally, while 1.76 million Americans currently live with or in remission from a blood cancer diagnosis.
The survival improvements documented across nearly every blood cancer subtype rank among the most significant success stories in modern oncology. Leukemia’s five-year relative survival has essentially doubled, from 34% for patients diagnosed in the late 1970s to 70% for those diagnosed between 2014 and 2020, while chronic myeloid leukemia survival more than tripled, from 22% to 70%, largely credited to the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs that now give most patients near-normal life expectancy. Myeloma survival nearly doubled as well, climbing from 32% in the mid-1990s to 62% for patients diagnosed 2015-2021, driven by newer targeted immunotherapy drugs.
Leukemia Statistics in US 2026
| Leukemia Measure | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Total new leukemia cases (2025 est.) | 66,890 |
| Total leukemia deaths (2025 est.) | 23,540 |
| AML new cases (2026 est.) | 22,720 |
| AML deaths (2026 est.) | 11,500 |
| CLL new cases (2026 est.) | 22,760 |
| CLL deaths (2026 est.) | 4,350 |
| ALL new cases (2026 est.) | 6,250 |
| ALL deaths (2026 est.) | 1,600 |
| People living with/in remission from leukemia | 475,323 |
Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026
Leukemia, a cancer of the blood-forming tissues including bone marrow, breaks down into several distinct subtypes with meaningfully different statistical profiles. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accounts for 22,720 new cases and 11,500 deaths expected in 2026, representing about 1 in 3 adult leukemia cases; it’s rare under age 45, with an average diagnosis age around 69. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common leukemia subtype overall at roughly 1 in 3 new leukemia cases, carries a considerably lower mortality burden, with 22,760 new cases but just 4,350 deaths expected, since CLL tends to progress more slowly than acute forms and mainly affects older adults around age 70.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), by contrast, disproportionately affects children, with risk highest in kids younger than 5, though a little less than half of all ALL cases still occur in adults. Despite children making up the majority of diagnoses, most ALL deaths occur among adults, since children respond considerably better to treatment than adults do, owing to differences in the underlying disease biology and higher rates of clinical trial enrollment and treatment adherence among pediatric patients. Overall, an estimated 475,323 people in the US are currently living with or in remission from leukemia, reflecting the disease’s improved long-term survival landscape.
Lymphoma Statistics in US 2026
| Lymphoma Measure | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) new cases | 79,320 |
| NHL deaths | 19,970 |
| NHL share of all new US cancer cases | 3.8% |
| NHL people living with/in remission | 872,940 |
| Hodgkin lymphoma new cases | 8,920 |
| Hodgkin lymphoma deaths | 1,100 |
| Hodgkin lymphoma people living with/in remission | 240,775 |
| NHL vs. Hodgkin lymphoma frequency ratio | NHL ~5x more common |
Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026; SEER Cancer Stat Facts, 2026
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) stands as the most common blood cancer by raw case count, with 79,320 new diagnoses and 19,970 deaths projected for 2026, representing 3.8% of all new US cancer cases. NHL can develop at any age and ranks among the more common cancers in children, teens, and young adults, though more than half of patients are 65 or older at diagnosis. Encouragingly, NHL incidence rates have declined roughly 1% per year since 2015, and the death rate has fallen about 2% annually between 2013 and 2022, reflecting steady improvement in both prevention understanding and treatment effectiveness.
Hodgkin lymphoma, considerably rarer at 8,920 new cases and 1,100 deaths expected in 2026, shows a strikingly different age pattern: it’s most frequently diagnosed among people aged 20 to 34, making it one of the more common cancers specifically affecting young adults, and it occurs more often in men than women. Both incidence and death rates for Hodgkin lymphoma have been falling consistently, by 1.3% and 3.1% per year respectively over the past decade, and patients with HIV/AIDS who develop Hodgkin lymphoma require specialized treatment protocols distinct from the standard approach used in the general population.
Myeloma Statistics in US 2026
| Myeloma Measure | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| New myeloma cases | 36,000 |
| Myeloma deaths | 10,850 |
| Myeloma share of all new US cancer cases | 1.7% |
| People living with myeloma (2023) | 202,793 |
| Myeloma new case rate (per 100,000, 2019-2023) | 7.4 |
| Myeloma death rate (per 100,000, 2020-2024) | 2.8 |
| Most common diagnosis age range | 65-74 |
| Myeloma’s rank among cancer deaths | 15th leading cause |
Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026; SEER Cancer Stat Facts, 2026
Myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells within the bone marrow, is projected to affect 36,000 new patients in 2026, with an estimated 10,850 deaths, ranking as the 15th leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The disease is notably more common in men than women and disproportionately affects non-Hispanic Black Americans, with risk further elevated among those with a prior history of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a precursor condition that can sometimes progress to full myeloma over time.
Most myeloma patients are diagnosed between ages 65 and 74, and while it remains a comparatively rare cancer overall — representing just 1.7% of all new US cancer cases — the roughly 202,793 Americans currently living with the disease reflect real progress in long-term disease management, even though myeloma remains generally considered treatable but not curable with most current therapies. Notably, patients diagnosed at the localized stage, just 3.3% of all cases, see a substantially better 5-year relative survival rate of 82.1%, underscoring the continued importance of early detection whenever possible.
Blood Cancer Symptoms Statistics in US 2026
| Symptom Category | Common Signs |
|---|---|
| Lymphoma (most common symptom) | Painless swollen lymph nodes (neck, armpit, groin) |
| Additional lymphoma symptoms | Fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, itchiness |
| Leukemia symptoms | Fatigue, easy bruising/bleeding, frequent infections |
| Additional leukemia symptoms | Bone/joint pain, unexplained weight loss |
| Myeloma symptoms | Bone pain, fatigue, frequent infections, kidney problems |
| Shared warning sign across all types | Persistent, unexplained fatigue |
| Diagnostic tests commonly used | CBC, blood chemistry, bone marrow biopsy, CT/PET scan |
Source: Cleveland Clinic; American Cancer Society; National Cancer Institute, 2026
Blood cancer symptoms vary by specific type but frequently overlap enough that clinical testing remains essential for an accurate diagnosis. Lymphoma’s hallmark symptom is painless swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck, armpit, or groin, often accompanied by fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, and persistent tiredness — a symptom cluster sometimes called “B symptoms” in clinical settings. Leukemia, by contrast, more often presents through blood-related changes: fatigue from anemia, easy bruising or bleeding due to low platelet counts, and frequent infections stemming from impaired white blood cell function, even though the leukemia cells themselves are technically a type of white blood cell.
Myeloma symptoms frequently center on bone health and kidney function, since abnormal plasma cells can weaken bone structure and produce proteins that strain the kidneys, leading to bone pain, fractures, and elevated creatinine levels on routine blood work. Across all blood cancer types, diagnosis typically requires some combination of a complete blood count (CBC), broader blood chemistry studies, and often a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, supplemented by imaging such as CT or PET scans to determine the disease’s extent and stage once a blood cancer diagnosis is confirmed.
Treatment for Blood Cancer in US 2026
| Treatment Category | 2026 Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard leukemia/lymphoma/myeloma treatments | Chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, immunotherapy |
| CML treatment breakthrough | Tyrosine kinase inhibitors |
| Advanced lymphoma/myeloma option | CAR T-cell therapy |
| Newer myeloma treatment class | Targeted immunotherapy drugs |
| Curative option for eligible patients | Stem cell/bone marrow transplant |
| 2026 regulatory development | Tazverik (tazemetostat) withdrawn over cancer-risk concerns |
| CAR T-cell therapy known risk | Toxicities requiring specialized monitoring |
Source: American Cancer Society; MOST Policy Initiative; Medscape, 2026
Blood cancer treatment has diversified substantially beyond traditional chemotherapy and radiation, now commonly incorporating targeted drug therapies designed to attack specific genetic mutations driving a patient’s particular cancer, along with immunotherapy approaches that harness the immune system itself. The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for chronic myeloid leukemia stands as one of oncology’s clearest success stories, transforming a once-fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition for most patients. For advanced lymphoma and myeloma cases, CAR T-cell therapy — which involves re-engineering a patient’s own immune cells to target cancer cells — has become an increasingly important option, though it carries recognized toxicity risks requiring careful specialized monitoring.
Not every treatment advance proves durable, however. In 2026, drug manufacturer Ipsen voluntarily withdrew its targeted lymphoma therapy Tazverik (tazemetostat) after follow-up studies revealed a potential risk of developing secondary cancers, working with the FDA to formally withdraw the drug’s earlier accelerated approval. This case illustrates a broader pattern in cancer drug development: research shows roughly 60% of cancer drugs granted FDA accelerated approval eventually receive full regular approval after five years of follow-up data, while about 20% are ultimately withdrawn once longer-term safety or efficacy concerns emerge, underscoring why ongoing post-approval monitoring remains such a critical part of modern blood cancer treatment oversight.
Age, Demographics, and Young Adult Statistics in US 2026
| Demographic Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Blood cancer patients aged 20-39 (young adults) | 157,702 living with/in remission |
| Young adults’ share of all blood cancer patients | 9.0% |
| Lymphoma’s share of young-adult blood cancers | 57.0% |
| Leukemia’s rank among young-adult cancer deaths | 5th leading cause |
| Children/teens living with/in remission (under 20) | 55,103 |
| Leukemia’s share of childhood cancer cases | 25.7% (most common childhood cancer) |
| Childhood cancer mortality decline since 1970 | 70% (children), 63% (adolescents) |
Source: Blood Cancer United; American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026
Young adults aged 20 to 39 represent a meaningful share of the overall blood cancer population, with 157,702 currently living with or in remission from leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, or related conditions — about 9% of all blood cancer patients nationally. Within this age group, lymphoma dominates, accounting for 57% of all blood cancer cases, while leukemia, though less common, ranks as the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among young adults specifically, reflecting its more aggressive clinical course compared with the generally more treatable lymphomas common in this age bracket.
Among children and teens under 20, blood cancers carry particular historical significance: leukemia remains the single most common childhood cancer, accounting for 25.7% of all pediatric cancer diagnoses, and improved leukemia treatment specifically drove a remarkable 70% decline in overall childhood cancer mortality and a 63% decline among adolescents since 1970. With 55,103 children and teens currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer, these long-term survival gains represent one of the most significant achievements in pediatric oncology over the past half-century, even as researchers continue working to understand why incidence rates for certain leukemia and lymphoma subtypes have continued rising modestly among adolescents in more recent years.
Incidence Trends and Rising Rates Statistics in US 2026
| Trend Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Adult acute leukemia incidence trend (since 1975) | Rising for both major forms |
| Childhood cancer incidence (14 and under), recent trend | Declining 0.8%/year |
| Adolescent cancer incidence (15-19), recent trend | Rising 0.7%/year |
| Driver of adolescent increase | Lymphoid leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma |
| Childhood lymphoid leukemia survival | 92% |
| Adolescent lymphoid leukemia survival | 76% |
| NHL incidence trend, 2012-2021 | Declining 0.6%/year |
Source: Blood Cancers Today; American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026
Leukemia incidence among adults has been rising gradually for both major acute leukemia subtypes based on SEER data going back to 1975, a trend that oncologists attribute to several intersecting factors rather than a single clear cause. Dr. Keith Pratz, director of the Leukemia Program at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, has pointed to children and young adults living longer over that period, meaning fewer people die of other causes before a leukemia diagnosis would eventually occur, alongside improved classification and reporting that captures cases which may have gone undiagnosed in earlier decades. Separately, greater lifetime exposure to potential leukemogenic factors, including diagnostic and therapeutic radiation at younger ages, may also be contributing to the pattern.
Age-specific trends reveal a more nuanced picture: while cancer incidence among children 14 and under has actually declined 0.8% per year in recent data, adolescents aged 15 to 19 have seen incidence rise 0.7% annually, driven specifically by increasing rates of lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma within that age bracket. E. Anders Kolb, president and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, attributes at least part of this rise to improved diagnostic capability rather than a true increase in disease occurrence, though he emphasizes the underlying causes of the adolescent-specific increase remain genuinely unclear. This diagnostic uncertainty is reflected in the survival gap between age groups: children with lymphoid leukemia see 92% survival, compared with 76% among adolescents, a difference researchers link to tumor biology, clinical trial enrollment rates, and treatment adherence patterns that vary meaningfully between pediatric and adolescent patient populations.
Blood Cancer Prevalence and Long-Term Living Statistics in US 2026
| Prevalence Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total living with/in remission (all blood cancers/MDS/MPN) | 1,759,461 |
| Living with/in remission from leukemia specifically | 475,323 |
| Living with/in remission from NHL specifically | 872,940 |
| Living with/in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma | 240,775 |
| Living with myeloma (2023 data) | 202,793 |
| Lifetime risk of developing NHL, men vs. women | 1 in 46 vs. 1 in 55 |
| Lifetime risk of developing myeloma | ~0.8% |
| Lifetime risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma | ~0.2% |
Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2026; SEER Cancer Stat Facts, 2026
Taken together, the nearly 1.76 million Americans currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer represent one of the clearest illustrations of how far treatment outcomes have advanced, since a blood cancer diagnosis decades ago carried a far lower likelihood of long-term survival than it does today. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma alone accounts for 872,940 of these survivors, reflecting both its high incidence relative to other blood cancers and its generally favorable treatment response compared with more aggressive cancer types, particularly when caught at an earlier stage.
Lifetime risk estimates further clarify how these diseases compare to one another in overall population impact. A man’s lifetime risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma stands at about 1 in 46, compared with 1 in 55 for women, while myeloma carries a considerably lower lifetime risk of roughly 0.8% and Hodgkin lymphoma an even smaller 0.2% — figures that help explain why NHL commands disproportionate attention in public health messaging relative to the rarer blood cancer subtypes, even though every blood cancer type discussed in this article carries genuinely serious health implications for the individuals and families it affects each year.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
