From tiredness to unexplained bruising – the 11 signs of blood cancer as The Alarm singer Mike Peters dies at 66

MIKE Peters, frontman of Welsh rock band The Alarm, has died from blood cancer aged 66.

The star battled blood cancer for 30 years, following his diagnosis of lymphoma in 1995.

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He was later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) - another form of the disease - twice.

He underwent numerous drug treatments and rounds of chemotherapy, even trying experimental therapy to keep his cancer at bay.

Mike was forced to cancel his 50-date US tour last year after noticing a new lump on his neck while shaving.

A biopsy of the lump showed the star had developed Richter's syndrome, a rare complication where CLL changes into a much more aggressive lymphoma.

This transformation can happen quickly, making patients very unwell suddenly. It can also make the cancer harder to treat.

The Welsh rock star had been undergoing treatment at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

He previously said: “When I was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995, I decided that I would not let the disease rob me of a single minute of my life."

His death was announced by a spokeswoman for the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a charity he co-founded with his wife to encourage action around stem cell donation.

Through its Get On The List campaigns, often publicised at rock concerts, the charity has added more than 250,000 people to stem cell registers worldwide.

Blood cancer often means you don’t have the right balance of blood cells in your body, according to Blood Cancer UK.

You might have too many of a particular type of blood cell, not enough of a particular type of blood cell, or cells that aren’t working properly.

There are several different types of blood cancer - from leukaemia, to lymphoma and myeloma.

Common symptoms of the disease may include:

1. Unexplained weight loss
2. Unexplained bruising or bleeding
3. Lumps or swellings
4. Shortness of breath
5. Drenching night sweats
6. Infections that are persistent, recurrent or severe
7. Unexplained fever that's 38°C or above
8. An unexplained rash or itchy skin
9. Pain in your bones, joints or abdomen
10. Tiredness that doesn’t improve with rest or sleep
11. Paleness

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Symptoms caused by blood cancer can look different depending on your skin tone.

Bruising - caused by a low level of platelets, which help the blood to clot - may start as red patches that change colour and get darker over time and may feel tender.

Bruises may be harder to see at first on black or brown skin, but as they develop, they'll show up as darker than the skin around them.

As for bleeding, this may come from your nose or gums, or you may notice that cuts don't stop oozing.

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You may also notice heavy periods or blood in your urine or poo.

Rashes caused by blood cancer can often appear as clusters of tiny spots or larger blotches that don't fade if pressed.

They may look purple or darker than the surrounding skin if you have black or brown skin, but they'll look red or purple on lighter skin.

Someone with blood cancer may look unusually pale because they have too few red blood cells.

Pallor is often more noticeable in light skin but people with black or brown skin may look greyish and their palms may look paler than usual.

They might also notice pallor in their lips, gums, tongue or nail beds.

If the inside of your lower eyelid looks pale pink or white when it's usually dark pink or red, this is a sigh that you're unusually pale.

Lumps may be caused by abnormal white blood cells building up in your lymph glands and they're most likely to appear in the neck, armpit or groin.

They’re usually painless, although some people find they ache.

If you notice any of the above symptoms, it's most likely that you don't have blood cancer - but it's still important to find out what's causing them so it's worth booking an appointment with your GP.