Owen is a young 17 -year -old teenager, whose life was turned upside down by his hairdresser. As he goes to his living room to have his hair cut, the professional notices an unusual ball, in the young man’s neck. He then advised him to consult a doctor without delay.
An appointment with the doctor, which allows him to diagnose cancer
The following week, Owen follows this advice and goes to his general practitioner, who directs him towards a specialist. His mother tells Mirror : “Owen had just went to the hairdresser and Firat noticed a little bump on her neck. He advised her to go to the doctor to have her examined. On his return, Owen explained the fears of Firat to us and we immediately made him an appointment with his general practitioner “.
In January 2024, after several exams, the verdict fell: Owen suffered from Hodgkin lymphoma, rare cancer of the lymphatic system. This type of cancer often manifests itself by an increase in the volume of the nodes. Especially at the neck, without being painful. According to Public Health France, 2,127 new cases had been estimated in 2018, including 1,240 in men and 887 among women.
The news is a shock for the family. His mother confides: “We do not expect cancer at that age; it was a shock for everyone. But with his age and his resilience, his body has resisted “.
A fight against the disease, at only 17 years old
Owen quickly started intensive chemotherapy of five months. Over the sessions, the results are encouraging and the young patient entered into remission. Relieved, he returns to see his hairdresser in order to thank him for his vigilance.
“”I am really grateful that the hairdresser noticed the size on my neck. He did not have to do so and that could have caused more serious problems. I am very grateful to him “he said.
What is Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma represents around 10 to 15 % of lymphomas. It mainly affects young adults aged 20 to 30 and people over the age of 70. Unlike non -Hodgkin’s lymphomas, the incidence of which progresses, that of Hodgkinian lymphoma remains stable. Although its exact causes remain unknown, some researchers incriminate the Epstein-Barr virus, responsible for infectious mononucleosis.
The disease affects lymphocytes, key cells of the immune system, and is signaled by large nodes in the neck, groin or armpits, sometimes accompanied by night sweats, unexplained fever, persistent itching or weight loss.
Chemotherapy, essential to treat patients
The good news is that this cancer is one of the rare forms that we know how to treat effectively, provided of an early diagnosis. But the management of this cancer requires different treatments, to say the least. “”The objective of oncologists is to cure patients by administering them polychotherapy combined with radiotherapy on affected nodes“We explained Dr. Poumir.
“If this does not work, the doctors then try an autogreffe. This takes place in several stages. The first is to take healthy cells from the patient’s marrow. It will then be subjected to heavy chemotherapy, to eradicate all cancer cells, and finally, the healthy cells withdrawn will be reinjected.”
The last possibility of treatment is the allogreffe, on the same principle but with the cells of a compatible donor.
According to France’s public health figures, “Hodgkin lymphoma is lymphoid hemopathy of favorable prognosis with standardized net survival estimated at 93 % at 1 year and 87 % at 5 years “. But according to our expert, the healing rate also depends on the biology of the disease, the age of the patient and his ability to support these heavy treatments.