Like many people during the holiday season, Lauren Firenze Gill was offered a drink at a Christmas party.
But just one sip of a shot of alcohol caused tingles and needles to run up the right side of his neck, down his arm, and end up at his fingertips.
Seeking medical help, it was eventually revealed that he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer that affects a network of vessels and glands throughout the body.
For reasons that are not fully understood, people with cancer may experience pain, numbness, or tingling sensations while drinking alcohol.
This is because cancer, which can form growths in blood vessels, can pinch a nerve as the vessel expands in reaction to alcohol.
For reasons that are not fully understood, people who have cancer, but may not know it, may experience pain or sensations of numbness when drinking alcohol.
It is well documented that cancer cases are mysteriously increasing among young people, with rates rising 24 percent in those under 50 over the past two decades, a steeper rise than any other age group.
The trend is known to include bowel, breast and mouth cancers, but what is less known is the simultaneous rise in some blood cancers as well.
According to Cancer Research UK, the incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma has increased by more than a fifth among people aged 25 to 49 since the early 1990s.
Hodgkin 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 of the 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 during Blood Cancer Awareness Month In September, the first sign that some patients have the disease is a strange reaction to drinking.
Recalling the incident, which happened 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 glass of this really good Baileys?'”
“I said, ‘Oh, I haven’t actually been drinking much because every time I drink alcohol I still get this tingling, trapped nerve feeling on the right side of my neck and the right side of my body. my arm to the tips of my fingers.
Just one sip of the drink was enough to trigger the strange reaction.
“It’s like I had tingles in my right arm and then it went numb and I couldn’t feel my fingertips and I thought, ‘Oh my God, something’s not right,'” he 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 Hodgkins lymphoma.
Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly why drinking alcohol triggers this strange reaction in people with cancer.
Some theories point to the impact of alcohol on the blood vessels, causing them to dilate, or its general inflammatory effect as two possible causes.
In theory, this expansion or inflammation could cause the cancer in the lymph node to begin pinching a nerve, creating a tingling sensation.
Doctors are quick to emphasize that this reaction only occurs in some patients, which means other symptoms, such as persistently swollen glands, should not be ignored.
According to data from the charity Cancer Research UK, Hodgkin’s lymphoma is on the rise in Britain.
Although it remains rare, accounting for less than one percent of all cancers diagnosed in the country each year, rates of the disease have increased 38 percent since the 1990s.
The increase has been greatest among Britons over 70, who are at highest risk of contracting the disease, but rates have also increased by 21 percent among younger adults.
In total, just over 2,000 Britons are diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma each year, and treatment usually consists of chemotherapy, sometimes combined with radiotherapy.
In general, three out of four patients are expected to be alive a decade after their diagnosis.
However, patients with Hodgkin lymphoma may face a variety of health problems even after successful cancer treatment.
This includes an increased risk of contracting other blood cancers such as leukemia and an increased risk of cardiovascular and lung diseases according to the NHS.