Frequent skin scratching and itching caused by blood cancer

Constant itching was cancerous

A woman scratched her legs for years without the pain on the skin subsiding. Then doctors found that she had a rare form of blood cancer.

Hodgkin lymphoma instead of skin infection

Jane Baldwin is 35 years old today. She has scars on the skin from scratching. In addition, she was permanently tired, so she fell asleep at work. Only very late diagnosed doctors Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hidden cancer

Usually the affected lymph nodes enlarge considerably. Not so with Baldwin. Only in November 2016, when she went to see a doctor because of difficulty breathing, the diagnosis was: cancer.

Why was the diagnosis made so late??

Doctors are suspected of having this cancer when laboratory tests show that the C-reactive protein (CRP) increases and there is a deficiency of white blood cells. Also a lack of red corpuscles in the blood and in the platelets are indications, as well as a general anemia. Itching on the skin is very unspecific.

What Hodgin Lymphoma Expresses??

Hodgkin lymphomas spread from lymphocytes, white blood cells. Malignant lymphocytes then multiply uncontrollably and affect the lymphatic organs, ie the spleen and the lymph nodes. Later, the cancer cells spread throughout the body.

Specific and nonspecific symptoms

Ninety percent of patients have swollen lymph nodes at diagnosis, neck, underarm and groin, chest and abdomen. In addition, there are nonspecific symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, tiredness and said itching.

Advanced Hodgin Lymphoma

In advanced disease, it often leads to disorders of the nervous system, a breakdown of the hormone balance and a weakened immune system with the consequence of constant fungal and viral infections.

Swollen lymph nodes

In February 2018 typical symptoms then appeared: Jane's lymph nodes swelled up.

Cancer continues - despite chemo

Chemotherapy started in March. She got the drug ABVD. At first the cancer seemed to go down, but a scan in August showed the opposite. The cancer was in the lungs, ribs, spinal cord and lymph nodes. He has only gone back in some regions, in others he has made progress.

In the last stage?

In the first stage of the disease, the region of a single lymph node is affected, in the second stage, there are two or more lymph node regions on one side of the diaphragm or several other foci. In the third stage, the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm. In the fourth and last stage, as in Jane, several non-lymphatic organs are affected.

Hope Nivolumab

Doctors think Jane chemoresistant. She hopes, however, for a new drug that works differently than the one with which she could be treated: nivolumab.

What is Jane hoping for??

The sufferer hopes that drug will push back their cancer so far that a stem cell transplant is possible.

50,000 pounds

The new drug is expensive and will not be covered by health insurance. That's why she has to collect 50,000 pounds for the treatment. In just one week, 15,600 donations were received. But that is still too little and the time is running away from the cancer patient. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)