Instagram star reveals a little-known blood cancer warning sign she ignored – amid reports of rising cases among young people

Like many people around the holidays, Lauren Firenze Gill was offered a drink at a Christmas party.

But just one sip of a drunken shot sent pins and needles down the right side of her neck, down her arm, and ending in her fingertips.

When she sought medical help, it was eventually discovered that she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer that affects a network of blood vessels and glands throughout the body.

For reasons that are not fully understood, people who have cancer may experience pain, numbness, or tingling sensations while drinking alcohol.

This is because the cancer, which can form growths in the blood vessels, can pinch a nerve as it expands in response to booze.

It is well documented that cancer rates are mysteriously rising among young people, with the rate among the over-50s increasing by 24 percent over the past two decades – a greater increase than in any other age group.

It is known that this trend also includes colon, breast and oral cancer, but what is less known is the simultaneous rise in some types of blood cancer.

According to Cancer Research UK, the incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma among 25 to 49-year-olds has risen by more than a fifth since the early 1990s.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma develops in the type of infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Cancerous lymphocytes develop abnormally, causing lumps to form in the lymph nodes 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 Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September, the first sign that some patients have the disease was a strange reaction while drinking.

Recalling the incident, which took place in December 2018, she told her 80,000 followers: ‘I was at my girlfriend’s house and she said, “Hey, would you like a little shot glass of this, really nice Baileys?”

“I said, ‘Oh, I haven’t really been drinking that much because every time I drink alcohol I get this like pins and needles, like a jittery feeling down the right side of my neck and down the right side of my neck.’ my arm to my fingertips”’.

Just one sip of the shot was enough to provoke the bizarre reaction.

“It was like I had pins and needles in my right arm and then it went numb and I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingers and I thought, ‘Oh my God, something’s wrong,'” she recalled.

Ms Gill, who hosts a cancer podcast called ‘F The Noise’, sought help from her GP with blood tests which eventually revealed she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Scientists are still trying to unravel exactly why drinking alcohol causes this bizarre reaction in people with cancer.

Some theories point to the influence of booze on the blood vessels, causing them to expand, or its general inflammatory effect as two possible causes.

In theory, this expansion or inflammation could cause the cancer in the lymph node to pinch a nerve, causing a pins-and-needles sensation.

Medics are quick to emphasize that this reaction only occurs in some patients, meaning other symptoms, such as persistently swollen glands, should not be ignored.

Hodgkin lymphoma is on the rise in Britain, according to data from the charity Cancer Research UK.

Although it is still rare and accounts for less than one percent of all cancer cases diagnosed annually in the country, cases of the disease have increased by 38 percent since the 1990s.

The rise is greatest among Britons over 70, who are most at risk of the disease, but figures are also up 21 per cent among younger adults.

In total, just over 2,000 Britons are diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma every year, with treatment usually consisting of chemotherapy, sometimes combined with radiotherapy.

Overall, three in four patients are expected to be alive ten years after their diagnosis.

However, patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma can face a range of health problems even after successful cancer treatment.

According to the NHS, this includes an increased risk of developing other blood cancers, such as leukemia, and an increased risk of heart and lung disease.