Like many people around the festive season Lauren Firenze Gill was offered a tipple at a Christmas-do.
But just a sip of a boozy shot sent pins and needles sweeping down the right side of her neck, down her arm and ending in her fingertips.
Seeking medical help eventually revealed she had Hodgkin lymphoma— a rare type of blood cancer affecting a network of vessels and glands throughout the body.
For reasons not fully understood people who have the cancer, can experience pain, numb or tingling sensations while drinking alcohol.
This is because the cancer, which can form growths in blood vessels, can pinch on a nerve as it expands in reaction to booze.
For reasons not fully understood people who have the cancer, but who might not know it, can experience pain or numbing sensations while drinking alcohol
It’s well documented that cases of cancer are mysteriously rising among young people, with rates increasing by 24 per cent in under 50s over the last two decades — a sharper increase than any other age group.
The trend is known to include bowel, breast and mouth cancers, but what’s less known about is the cocurrent rise in some types of blood cancer too.
According to Cancer Research UK, incidences of Hodgkin lymphoma have risen by more than a fifth among 25 to 49 year-olds since the early 90s.
Hodgkin lymphoma develops in the type of infection-fighting white blood cells called the lymphocytes.
Cancerous lymphocytes develop in an abnormal way, causing lumps to form in the lymph nodes in the neck, armpit and groin.
Common symptoms include night sweats, unintentional weight loss, high temperature, persistent cough and itching.
But like Ms Gill, who shared her story on Instagram for Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September, some patients’ first sign they have the disease is an odd reaction when drinking.
Recalling the incident, which occurred in December 2018, she told her 80,000 followers: ‘I was at my friend’s house and she said “Hey, do you want a little shot glass of this, like, really nice Baileys?”
‘I said, “oh, I’ve not really been drinking that much because every time I drink alcohol I keep getting this like pins and needles, like, a trap nervy feeling down the right side of my neck and down the right side of my arm to my fingertips”’.
Just one sip of the shot was enough to trigger the bizarre reaction.
‘It’s like I had pins and needles down my right arm and then it just went numb and I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingertips and I thought “oh my God, something is not right”,’ she recalled.
Ms Gill, who hosts a cancer podcast called ‘F The Noise’ sought help from her GP with blood tests eventually revealing she had Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Scientists are still trying to unpick exactly why drinking alcohol triggers this bizarre reaction in people with the cancer.
Some theories point to booze’s impact on blood vessels, causing them to expand, or its general inflammatory affect as two potential causes.
In theory this expansion or inflammation could cause the cancer in the lymph node to start pinching a nerve, creating the pins and needles sensation.
Medics are quick to highlight this reaction only occurs in some patients meaning that other symptoms, like persistently swollen glands, shouldn’t be ignored.
According to data from charity Cancer Research UK Hodgkin Lymphoma is on the rise in Britain.
While still rare, accounting for less than one per cent of all cancers diagnosed in the country per year, rates of the disease have increased by 38 per cent since the 90s.
The rise has been highest in Brits over the age of 70, who are at highest risk of the disease, but rates have also increased by 21 per cent among younger adults.
In total, just over 2,000 Brits are diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma each year, with treatment generally consisting of chemotherapy which is sometimes combined with radiotherapy.
Overall, three in four patients are expected to be alive a decade after their diagnosis.
However, Hodgkin Lymphoma patients can face a range of health issues even after a successful cancer treatment.
This includes an increased risk of getting other blood cancers like leukaemia, and increased risk of cardiovascular and lung disease according to the NHS.
