Former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with blood cancer - one of the deadliest cancers. Gaekwad had been bravely contending with his illness for over a year and was receiving treatment in London.

Gaekwad also served as the head coach of the Indian team in two stints, between 1997 and 1999 and in 2000.

According to experts, blood cancer affects how your body produces blood cells and how well they work. Most blood cancers start in your bone marrow – the sponge-like material in the center of your bones, which makes stem cells mature and become red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Normal blood cells fight infection, carry oxygen throughout your body, and control bleeding. However, blood cancer happens when something disrupts how your body makes blood cells. And so, according to doctors, if you have blood cancer, abnormal blood cells would overwhelm normal blood cells, creating a ripple effect of medical conditions.

Statistics say India has one of the highest rates of blood cancer in the world, with an estimated 5.5 cases per 100,000 people per year. At least 80,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, or one new case every seven seconds. In 2022, more than 70,000 people died from blood cancer in India.

The three types of blood cancer, with subtypes, include:

It is the most common blood cancer among children and teenagers. Types of leukemia include acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myelogenous leukemia.

It is the cancer of your lymphatic system, which includes your bone marrow. The types include Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Myeloma is a cancer that begins in your bone marrow and affects your plasma cells. Multiple myeloma is the most common myeloma type. More than half of people diagnosed with myeloma live for at least five years after diagnosis.

Doctors say even though they are not sure why blood cancer happens, studies believe your DNA is responsible for this. DNA tells blood cells when to grow when to divide or multiply, and/or when to die. And so, when the DNA gives your cells new instructions, your body develops abnormal blood cells that grow and multiply faster than normal and sometimes live longer than normal. When that happens, normal blood cells become lost in an ever-growing horde of abnormal cells that crowd your normal cells and monopolize space in your bone marrow.

Eventually, your bone marrow produces fewer normal cells. And so, genetic change causes the three types of blood cancer.

Experts believe the symptoms of blood cancer vary based on blood cancer type, however, a few signs that all three have in common include:

• Fatigue and tiredness
• Persistent and high fever due to low immunity
• Drenching night sweats
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Unexpected weight loss
• Frequent infections due to the effect on the immune system
• Swollen lymph nodes or enlarged liver or spleen
• Bone pain

According to doctors, many symptoms of blood cancer are quite similar to those of other less serious diseases. And so, having any of these symptoms does not mean you have blood cancer. But you should always get yourself checked by your doctor when you notice symptoms or changes in your body that last more than a few weeks.