Most people have experienced the unpleasant side effects of alcohol at least once in their lives. However, they hardly suggested that one of the rare symptoms could signal cancer – malignant lymphoma. It is a severe pain, said American scientists.
Malignant lymph node tumors are cancers that appear in the cells of the lymphatic system. The main symptom is enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, groin and armpits.
In addition, unexplained weight loss, increased sweating at night and constant itching for no reason may also indicate the appearance of oncology.
There are about 60 different types of lymphoma, which are broadly divided into Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Symptoms associated with alcohol are observed in people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is diagnosed in Ukraine in large numbers annually, mainly in people aged 20 to 70 years. However, according to the British independent organization Lymphoma Action, approximately 1 in 20 patients experience pain caused by alcohol. This is felt in the lymph nodes – glands that are usually located in the neck, armpits and groin.
Dr. Graham Collins, an NHS Foundation hematologist at Oxford University hospitals, added that the lymph nodes are full of abnormal cells when there is cancer. “Alcohol can relax blood vessels, which can lead to a further increase in pressure in the lymph nodes, which puts a strain on the surrounding capsule and causes pain,” he said. Lymph nodes can already be swollen and painful.
Women with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are most prone to pain when drinking alcohol, according to Harvard doctors who wrote an article for the journal Anesthesiology.
“The content of alcohol in chocolate with liqueur or even in a sip of beer causes pain. The pain occurs immediately; “Patient pain descriptions range from aching to prickly, and the intensity varies from mild to unbearable, forcing some patients to give up alcohol altogether,” the researchers said.
Some patients have also reported taking over-the-counter painkillers while drinking alcohol, completely unaware that the pain was a precautionary sign of a fatal illness. For example, doctors in the American city of Nashville described a case of a 31-year-old man who took ibuprofen every time he drank alcohol for three months.
When he arrived at the hospital, he described persistent chest pains that occurred minutes after drinking only two or three sips of alcohol. According to medics in Nashville, the man also sometimes had fevers, night sweats and general fatigue.
The scan showed that the man had a tumor in his lung, and a lymph node biopsy on his throat confirmed the diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fortunately, the treatment led to complete remission, as chemotherapy quickly helped to get rid of chest pain.
Another example from medical practice: a 32-year-old man from China suggested that he had sciatica, which was aggravated by alcohol consumption until doctors diagnosed him with cancer.
Lymphoma is almost always treatable. Most people live for many years after diagnosis. But, unfortunately, every year in Ukraine people die from cancer.