The figures are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Leading causes of death 2006 - 2016, and the Leukaemia Foundation have also found every day another 35 Australians are diagnosed with a blood cancer or disorder.

These shocking statistics has prompted Leukaemia Foundation’s CEO Bill Petch to urge people to embrace fundraising initiatives, including the World’s Greatest Shave, so organisations like the Leukaemia Foundation can support those affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.

More than 270,000 Australian’s have been diagnosed with a blood cancer since World’s Greatest Shave began in 1998. In 2017 one Australian lost their life to a blood cancer every two hours.

Register at www.worldsgreatestshave.com

Although survival rates are improving, each year an average of 5,336 people are newly diagnosed in NSW alone.

“In 1998, children diagnosed with leukaemia would have around a 65 per cent chance of survival. Today, improvements in treatment and care mean nearly 90 per cent will survive the disease,” Mr Petch said.

Despite these huge improvements in the treatment of childhood leukaemia, blood cancers, including lymphoma, myeloma and leukaemia, are still one of Australia’s leading causes of death.

In 2017 one Australian lost their life to a blood cancer every two hours.

Mr Petch said the Leukaemia Foundation believed blood cancer diagnosis rates would only continue to rise as Australia’s population ages.

“While more kids are surviving our parents are being diagnosed at a growing rate,” Mr Petch said

“Diagnoses rates for people over the age of 65 with blood cancers like Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and Multiple Myelomas show dramatic increases.”