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Find out why Holby City star Tom Chambers is raising awareness of Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Holby City character Sam Strachan discovers he's got Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma in tonight's episode.
Actor Tom Chambers deliberately lost a stone-and-a-half for the role, and shaved his own head in the episode.
Non Hodgkin's lymphoma is the 6th most common type of cancer in adults in the UK (not counting non melanoma skin cancer). In the UK, more than 9,700 cases were diagnosed in 2003 .
Lymphomas are cancers that develop in lymphatic cells. Without treatment, cancer cells may travel to all parts of the body, spreading the disease to other organs. The first sign of NHL is usually a painless lump.
Other symptoms include night sweats, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight, and itching skin. The diagnosis is confirmed after a full medical examination, blood tests and scans. A biopsy will confirm the exact type of NHL – there are over a dozen different types.
Risk factors
The cause of most lymphomas is not known. Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and another does not. It is clear, however, that cancer is not caused by an injury, and is not contagious; no one can "catch" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from another person.
By studying patterns of cancer in the population, researchers have found certain risk factors that are more common in people who get non-Hodgkin's lymphoma than in those who do not. However, most people with these risk factors do not get non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and many who do get this disease have none of the known risk factors.
Anyone whose immune system is not working as well as it should may be more likely to develop a lymphoma. This includes people who are taking drugs to stop organ rejection after a transplant, have AIDS, have autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis or are born with rare medical syndromes which affect their immunity.
Past cancer treatment can also affect your risk of non Hodgkin's lymphoma. Some chemotherapy drugs can increase your risk of developing NHL, 10 to 15 years after treatment. Having had radiotherapy in the past also increases the risk of getting NHL. People who have had radiotherapy for breast cancer or Hodgkin's disease have an increased risk of NHL in the radiotherapy field. But these are very small increases in risk compared to the risk of not having the treatment for the original cancer.
If you have a parent, brother or sister diagnosed with NHL, you have a slightly increased risk of getting it yourself. It's about 2 -3 times the average risk. If this seems high, do remember that the general risk of NHL is small. And most people who get NHL don't have a relative who's had it, so it isn't a major risk factor.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of non Hodgkin's lymphoma is one or more painless swellings in the neck, armpit or groin area.
Each swelling is an enlarged lymph node. If you have a swollen lymph node that does not go away after 6 weeks, you should see your GP.
You may have other general symptoms such as:
- Heavy sweating at night
- Temperatures that come and go with no obvious cause
- Losing a lot of weight (more than one tenth of your total weight)
- And some people have unexplained itching with NHL.
Getting your symptoms checked
If you have any of these symptoms you must have them checked by your GP. But remember, they can all be caused by other medical conditions. Most people with these symptoms will not have a lymphoma.
For more information click on the links below or call the Lymphoma Association free helpline number on 0808-808-5555
