Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer. Although there are different blood cells (white cells, platelets, red blood cells), leukaemia generally refers to cancers that affect the white blood cells. White blood cells are essential to fight infections and build up your immune system. When the white cells don’t function as well, our immune defences become weakened and we are more susceptible to getting infections in the first place, and becoming more unwell from them. Leukaemia is fairly common among adults, with around 27 new cases each day in the UK. Age is a big factor, with those over 75 accounting for more than 4 in 10 cases. While not many children get cancer, leukaemia is one that frequently affects them – it behaves quite differently for them, so we’ll address that elsewhere.

Melanoma (also known as malignant melanoma) is the most serious type of skin cancer caused by sun exposure. It's serious because the cancer can spread to other organs in the body, so it needs prompt identification and treatment. You can take steps to prevent it, but also keep a watch for any moles or other skin marks that are new, changing or don't look like your other moles. Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK, with almost 17,000 new cases each year. The number of cases has doubled in the last 30 years, and it can occur at any age.

We have all grown more aware of the dangers of sun exposure in recent years, with the threat of sun damage altering our appearance and the risk of skin cancer. There are different types of skin cancer, but there are some rules of thumb to follow for any mole, whether it’s new or existing. Let's take you through when to be concerned.

All women aged between 25 and 64 are invited for cervical screening in the UK. Also called a smear test or pap test, it’s a test aiming to prevent cancer rather than a test for whether you have cancer. It checks for a certain virus that can disrupt the cells of the cervix (the opening to your womb from your vagina). If you have the virus, the cells of the cervix can then be checked for any changes that could, with time, lead to cervical cancer. Your local health authority will get your age and address details from your GP records and send you an invitation (usually by post). If you’re under 25, you’ll be invited every 6 months until you are 25, every 3 years if you’re 25 to 49 and every 5 years if you’re aged 50 to 64. After the age of 65 you’ll only be invited if one of your last three tests was abnormal. You then book an appointment with your general practice nurse or sexual health clinic for a test. Cervical cancer is not one of the most common cancers, but it is common in young women, usually affecting those in their early 30s. Once you have cervical cancer, treatment can be difficult and threaten your fertility and your overall health. But it's considered 99.8% preventable, so it's worth keeping up with your cervical screening.

Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the UK. Known medically as renal cancer, it is more common in men than women and it’s rare in people under the age of 50. Each year in the UK around 12,000 people are diagnosed with this type of cancer. There are several different types of kidney cancer but the commonest type is known as renal cell cancer. Others include transitional cell cancer, and Wilm’s tumours and clear cell sarcomas that only occur in children. You have two kidneys, one on either side of your tummy (your flanks) and slightly to the back. Their job is absolutely critical in keeping us alive - they balance up the salts (sodium, potassium and chloride) in our blood and excrete out any excess in urine. They filter out toxins into the urine and balance out fluids by making the urine more concentrated or more watery, depending on what we need. Signs that might alert you to a problem in the kidneys are blood in the urine or a lump in one of your flanks. It’s confirmed with blood tests, urine tests and scans.