Yes, blood cancer can be curable, depending on the type and how soon you receive treatment. Early diagnosis can improve your treatment options and outcomes. 

Certain blood cancers are uncurable, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and myeloma. If a cancer is not curable, the focus is on treating the condition and putting it into remission (reduced or eliminated symptoms).

Survival rates vary, depending on your overall health, age and response to treatment. According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year relative survival rate (percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis) is:

• Leukemia – 67%
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma – 74%
• Hodgkin lymphoma – 89%
• Myeloma – 61%

There are no early screening tests available for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma due to these factors:

• the complexity and variability of these diseases
• the diverse types and presentations of blood cancers
• the lack of universally accepted biomarkers for early detection

Unlike some solid tumors, such as breast cancer or prostate cancer, blood cancers have multiple subtypes with varying characteristics and progression patterns. This makes it challenging to develop a one-size-fits-all screening test.

There is an absence of reliable and specific biomarkers. Current biomarkers are useful to monitor disease progression and response to treatment, though not for early detection.