Is ITP a Form of Cancer? What People Should Know

Medically reviewed by Warren Brenner, M.D.

Written by Jessica Wolpert

Posted on August 11, 2026

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Key Takeaways

Immune thrombocytopenia, or ITP, is an autoimmune disorder that causes low platelet counts, which can lead to easy bruising, unusual bleeding, and fatigue, but it is not a form of cancer.

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) isn’t a form of cancer. However, it does share symptoms with certain blood cancers. People diagnosed with ITP may be surprised and confused to find that they are being treated at a cancer center.

As one myITPteam member wrote, “On the way home from the doctor’s office, a hematologist’s office called me for an appointment Tuesday. Google Maps led me to an address that read ‘CARTI’ on the marquee. Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute is a cancer center. ‘Cancer? I don’t have cancer!’ I thought.”

If your healthcare provider suspects that you have ITP, they will order tests to ensure they make an accurate diagnosis.

What Is ITP?

ITP is an autoimmune disorder. Your immune system normally makes antibodies that help recognize and fight harmful germs, such as bacteria and viruses.

In people with autoimmune disorders, the immune system also makes autoantibodies. Autoantibodies mistakenly attack healthy parts of the body.

In ITP, autoantibodies and immune cells can cause platelets to be removed too quickly, often in the spleen or liver. ITP can also make it harder for the bone marrow to produce enough platelets. These platelets help form blood clots to stop bleeding.

Symptoms

Although some people experience no symptoms with ITP, others have a range of symptoms connected to the blood disorder. Because ITP lowers the platelet count, people with ITP may bruise easily, sometimes with little or no injury. Blood can appear in urine or stool when you use the bathroom. ITP can also cause bleeding in the skin, fatigue, bleeding gums, heavy nosebleeds, and heavy menstrual periods.

Causes

Many cases of ITP have no clear cause. In some people, ITP is linked to another condition, such as HIV, hepatitis C, or an infection with H. pylori, the bacterium that can cause stomach ulcers. People with autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may also have a higher risk of developing ITP.

Types

Doctors now describe ITP based on how long it has lasted. Newly diagnosed ITP lasts less than three months. Persistent ITP lasts from three to 12 months. Chronic ITP lasts longer than 12 months.

ITP in children often gets better sooner, while adults are more likely to have long-lasting ITP. Women are affected by chronic ITP two to three times more often than men.

Why Is ITP Confused With Cancer?

Although ITP isn’t a cancer, the thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) associated with ITP can also be a symptom of certain blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Leukemia and lymphoma can lower platelet counts in several ways. Cancer may affect the bone marrow, increase platelet destruction, or cause the spleen to remove too many platelets. Lymphoma does not always involve the bone marrow.

Low platelet counts associated with ITP can also be a symptom of certain blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Low platelet counts caused by blood cancers can lead to the same symptoms as ITP, including bruising, bleeding, petechiae, and purpura. Petechiae are tiny red, purple, or brown spots caused by bleeding under the skin. They can occur with leukemia, ITP, and many other conditions, so they are not a sign of leukemia alone.

In addition, the treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation, can damage bone marrow and keep platelet counts low.

People with ITP and people with blood cancers may also have similar treatment teams. Both conditions can be treated by healthcare providers called hematologist-oncologists.

How Healthcare Providers Tell ITP and Cancer Apart

ITP is usually diagnosed by ruling out other possible causes of a low platelet count. No single test can confirm ITP. If you have symptoms or signs of a low platelet count, your healthcare team can use several tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC) or a peripheral blood smear, to help find the cause.

A CBC measures the number of red and white blood cells in your blood, as well as your platelet count. People with ITP usually have a low platelet count, while their red and white blood cell counts remain normal. However, some people with leukemia or lymphoma may also have normal counts of other blood cells at first. Doctors look at the full test results, symptoms, and medical history.

Both ITP and blood cancers may be treated by healthcare providers called hematologist-oncologists.

During a peripheral blood smear, a sample of your blood is examined under a microscope. The examiner will look at the number of platelets and their size.

Other specialized tests may sometimes be used. Bone marrow tests are usually not needed, but a doctor may consider one if the diagnosis is unclear, other blood counts or the blood smear are unusual, concerning symptoms are present, or treatment does not work as expected. Doctors may consider bone marrow tests for patients over the age of 60 because they have a higher risk of other conditions that can mimic ITP.

You may also have tests for conditions linked with ITP, such as hepatitis C and HIV.

Is ITP Linked to Cancer?

Although ITP is not a form of cancer, studies have found that people with ITP are diagnosed with some cancers more often than people without ITP. This does not prove that ITP causes cancer. One study of more than 10,000 people with ITP found that certain cancers, especially blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, were more common among people with ITP.

Another study of almost 6,750 people with ITP found higher rates of liver and skin cancer diagnoses. Researchers do not know whether this link is caused by shared immune problems, certain treatments, closer medical monitoring, or cancers that were already present but had not yet been found.

People with ITP should follow the cancer screening schedule recommended for their age and personal risk factors. Ask your healthcare team whether you need any additional screening and report new or unusual symptoms.